The Quest To Your Heart
by sweetprincess900045
Summary: When Princess Vanellope gets locked in a dark castle for fifteen years, a 'knight in shining armor' comes in to rescue her. But can Rancis complete the task at hand before confessing his love for her? And what happens when an evil game character rises and interfere with everything?
1. it all started

_Ch.1_

_Once upon a time, there was an adorable young princess who goes by the name of Princess Vanellope. An evil game character casted a dark spell upon her fifteen years ago and kidnapped, leaving her to stay in the Castle of Darkness, awaiting for true love and true love's first kiss…_

It was a beautiful day in the arcade, game characters roamed freely. Everyone was happy. All but one. Who is the unlucky champ, you ask? Why, it was none other than the one and only King Candy. Many years ago, his one and only child has been taken away from him. Since then, many suitors have offered to rescue her, but none have succeeded the task. The monarch had lost hope as time passed on, until it came to the point where he secluded himself from his own people. He never came out of the castle, and decided to shut down the track to prevent the other racers from racing. The loyal citizens have prayed for someone brave to save the young princess. But no one ever took up the offer.

Until now, at least.

Now you may be wondering how this story begins. Well fair readers, it all started with a mysterious man...

* * *

Rancis Fluggerbutter was at the Candy Cane Forest on a beautiful afternoon, sitting atop of a candy cane tree, staring at the sweet landscape. It was practically vacant; no other life forms were spotted. Many of its citizens were at home. It reminded Rancis of a desert.

A lonely desert at that, too.

Rancis sighed. He wished there was some way the game could be active once more. He wished he could race with the others. But unless he went on some "magical" quest, he was going to suck it up and live with it. He stood up and jumped down the tree, avoiding double striped branches on the way down, and stood firmly on the ground. He smiled and walked off, completely oblivious that a mysterious cloaked figure was watching him intently.

"He could be the one," it murmured in a raspy voice, hot on Rancis' tail.

It hovered over Rancis, gnarled fingers ready to grasp the boy's head, but disappeared when Rancis turned around. Rancis looked around, his eyes searching. 'He was certain he heard a voice not too long ago, but decided to ignore it. He turned around and hopped into his kart, then drove off. The mysterious person snarled under his breath, pulling the hood over his head even more and continued on the trail.

Rancis looked at his mirror through his visor and looked behind him, spotting the mysterious person following him. "What the?" he mumbled. He blinked a few times, but the strange person was gone. He turned his view back in front of him and continued his trip back home, a strange feeling overwhelming him. Yet he shook it off. Taking a deep breath, he continued his way home.

"I need a nap," he said, drivingtowards his home.

As he sped off into the horizon, that strange person, popped out from a lollipop bush and quietly cackled silently. "This could be easier than I thought," it said, stepping out into the clearing and continued down the path.

* * *

Evening came, and the moon and stars' light shone brightly through the cotton candy clouds. Rancis sat outside, staring at the beautiful midnight sky. He took a whiff of the scent of various treats and smiled. Even though he seemed happy, he just can't seem to shake off the feeling that someone, or something, was watching him. It made him feel uneasy and quite uncomfortable at the same time. He constantly squirmed when he felt a pair of eyes staring at him. Rancis got nervous when he heard the long howling of the devil dogs or if he mistook the branches of a candy cane tree for a creepy person. Rancis sighed, and got up from his spot, heading up to his door, when he heard that same raspy voice from earlier.

"Hey, kid. I need to talk to you."

He turned around quickly and saw the mysterious person in a black cloak. Rancis grew afraid, not knowing what to do. The mysterious person chuckled, scaring Rancis even more.

"No need to be afraid, child. For I can help you with your game issues." He said quickly. Rancis looked at him warily, intrigued by this. "I speak the truth, young one. I have an idea for you to race."

"I'm listening."

The mysterious person pulled out an envelope out of his long sleeves and handed it to Rancis. "In order for you to race, you must go on an intense journey to the game _Night Wolf_. There you must travel to the Castle of Darkness and go to the tallest tower. There, Princess Vanellope will be there, waiting for a suitor to rescue her." He explained.

"Wait, but I can't go," Rancis interrupted. "I'm not a suitor! I'm not a prince either! Look, I don't know who you are, but leave me alone!"

He turned around and opened the door, slamming it behind him. He threw the envelope into the trash and headed towards bed. Getting under the covers he laid his head down on his pillow, mumbling, "Suitor, pfft." Soon he was fast asleep.

The cloaked figure stayed in front of his house, chortling wickedly.

"Soon," he said menancingly, walking into the dark. "You will understand, my boy. You will understand."

And he disappeared into the darkness.


	2. starting the journey

_Ch.2_

It was nearly 3 a.m. and Rancis was having troubles sleeping. He fumbled in his sleep, rolling back and forth. He could still hear the man's wicked laughter reiterating inside his head, and it drove him to a brink of insanity.

"_Ha ha ha ha!" _the voice cackled in his head. _"Come to me, child!"_

"NO!" Rancis yelled, sitting abruptly upright, panting heavily.

His chest went up and down increasingly, his breath getting heavier and hotter. Slowly he got out of his bed and walked into the kitchen. Getting a glass of milk, he sat on the couch and chugged it down. He wiped off the chocolate mustache from under his nose. From the corner of his eye, he saw the envelope he shoved in the trash from the mysterious encounter with the odd man, and went to pick it up. The envelope was now a bit crinkled, but otherwise okay. Curiosity got the best of him, and he slowly tore up the envelope fold. Inside was a letter and an old map. The letter read:

_Rancis Fluggerbutter,_

_Due to the troubles Sugar Rush is having, we ask you to take a journey to rescue the daughter of King Candy, Princess Vanellope. As far as we know, she has been taken to the game Night Wolf, waiting for a rescuer in the tallest tower in the Castle of Darkness. The faith of this game lies in your hands. May the programmers be with you._

_Sincerely,_

_Anonymous._

Rancis grew puzzled, flipping the letter over, finding it blank. He shifted his gaze to the map examining it closely. The map showed a clear path to the castle, some clear notes were written as well, telling him wear to go and wear not to go. Taking some thought into this and went into the hallway closet, taking out a brown backpack with yellow accents, and began packing. He neatly packed in food, clothes, some extra pillows and blankets, and some other items he needed for his journey. He stuffed a tent he found and packed it along with the others, then hopped into the tub and showered.

"Can't believe I'm doing this," he muttered as he washed his hair, lathering the nice shampoo and conditioner into it.

Once he got his hair done, he rinsed it off thoroughly and jumped out of the shower, drying off and fixing his hair. He put on some fresh clothes, packed another pair of pajamas in the bag, picked up his backpacks and walked out, making sure to have the letter and the envelope in the front pouch. He was not aware that the mysterious cloaked man watched him from afar, laughing demonically.

"All according to plan," he cackled.

* * *

Rancis got off the tram and looked at his surroundings. Tall trees with a thick trunks and distorted branches were waving hello, and a bright full moon shone brightly as it took its place high in the sky, and wolves were howling out their cry.

"This is the creepiest place I've ever been. Even Gloyd wouldn't come here," Rancis stated, shivering violently.

He took out the map from his pocket and drew out his flashlight from his backpack pocket, shining on the paper. "This way." And off he went, down the path before him, shivering uncontrollably.

* * *

After what seemed like eternity to Rancis (two days), he reached the end of the trail and saw the castle in front of him, his eyes widening. The path to the Castle of Darkness grew dark and murky, but it was nothing compared the real thing. The castle was pitch black, tall towers and turrets were humongous, and the moat was gloomy and misty. The gate creaked open before Rancis, welcoming him inside. Rancs gulped in fear, and walked in. He swung the castle doors open and walked through the hallway, shining his light.

"How did I get myself into this?" Rancis moaned, his voice echoing loudly.

He pranced down the hall warily, getting even more nervous each step he took. He came across a staircase and began ascending the stairs, unaware that a pair of dark eyes staring at him. Rancis reached the top of the staircase and saw a pathway to another part of the castle. The he saw a small window. "At least we know where the princess is," he said. "But why do I have a feeling that I'm missing something?" Shrugging it off, he began his stroll ever so calmly, when he heard a loud roar. He stopped in his tracks and looked around, straining his ears for the noise.

"M-must be the wind," he stuttered, nervously laughing.

He took a few steps forward, but stopped when that cry rang in his ears again. Rancis started to cough as he inhaled a puff of smoke, fanning it away from his face. Behind him, he heart a snort. Slowly turning around, he came face-to-face with an angry looking dragon. The dragon was 30 feet long, had black scales and spikes from his back trailing down to his tail and flaming dark red eyes. His claws were as sharp as a knife, and his shark-like teeth were ready. It growled threateningly at the now frightened boy, who was paralyzed right on his spot, whimpering, "N-nice dragon. Y-you w-wouldn't hurt me would you?" In response, the dragon growled loudly in Rancis' face. Rancis screamed in terror and dashed off, the dragon on hot pursuit. He ran in the building and slammed the door shut right in the dragon's face, then fled for his life. He took many hallways and paths, avoiding bones and mice, until he saw a door. Hearing the dragon's unpleasant cry, he hurriedly fled to the door, swung it open and slammed it shut. Rancis panted heavily, holding his hand to his heart. He looked around and saw that it was a bedroom he walked into. Realization dawned upon him. If this was a bedroom, then where…?

Rancis heard clattering on the ground and saw that it none other than a pink lollipop scepter on the floor. Confused, he went to pick it up. Just as he went to pick it up, he accidentally placed his hand on someone else's. Looking up, he came in contact with a pair of beautiful hazel eyes. The moon's light gleamed through the window and shine right on them.

Rancis' eyes grew wide.

He was touching the hand of Princess Vanellope.


	3. the rescue

_Ch.3_

Rancis and Princess Vanellope stared at each other, not saying anything. A blush crept on their cheeks, their faces dark red. Rancis helped the princess up to her feet, not looking away from her. They didn't say anything, until Rancis spoke up.

"Are you Princess Vanellope?" he asked. She nodded.

"Yeah. And you are?"

Rancis smiled and bowed before. "I come here to rescue you, your highness. I'm Rancis Fluggerbutter." He greeted, kissing her hand. He had expected her to laugh at his last name, but instead she just smiled at him. "Rancis Fluggerbutter. I like it. Kind of cute, really." She commented. Rancis stood up and smiled, handing her back her scepter. She smiled and took it from him, then looked at his blue eyes. They were interrupted by a rumbling growl of the dragon.

"You didn't get rid of the dragon?" Princess Vanellope cried incredulously, covering her ears.

"It's on my to-do list!" he yelled back.

Princess Vanellope shook her head and grabbed a backpack, then grabbed Rancis's hand and they bolted out of the room. They ran down the hallway and bolted out of the exit, only to meet an infuriated dragon waiting for them. Rancis got in front of the princess and pulled her to the ground as the dragon spewed hot, fiery fire from his mouth. They crawled under the dragon's stomach and not trying to make a sound. They scurried to their feet and dashed away from the beast, but the dragon was hot on their trail. Rancis saw a sword and shield and grabbed it, then faced the dragon.

"Princess, run towards the exit," Rancis ordered. "I'll take it from here."

Princess Vanellope dashed down the hallway, leaving Rancis alone with the dragon. The dragon roared and blasted fire from his mouth. Rancis blocked the attacked with his shield and charged at the dragon. The dragon continued to blast fire at Rancis, trying to defend himself. Rancis easily dodged it and slid under the dragon's stomach and dashed down the hall.

"Hey, hothead! Over here!" Rancis cried, catching the dragon's attention.

The now irritated dragon roared and charged after him. Rancis once more dashed down the hall, with a dragon in hot pursuit. They both ran all around the castle, till the dragon grew tired. Rancis looked behind him, seeing the dragon still on his tail, and stuck the sword in between overlapping chains, then ran towards the princess. He took her hand in his and pulled her towards the exit. The dragon flapped his wings and flew towards them but was jerked back to a stop. Rancis and Princess Vanellope ignored the cries coming from the dragon and continued fleeing. Once the dragon was out of earshot, they came to a stop to catch their breath, panting heavily. Princess Vanellope looked at Rancis, her face flushed from running, and smiled.

"You… you rescued me," she said, her eyes twinkling in the moonlight. "No suitor has actually gotten this far before. Thank you so much."

Rancis smiled bashfully, rubbing the back of his neck. "Y-you're welcome, your majesty. I'm glad I could come and rescue the King Candy's beautiful daughter," he replied, then realizing on what he just said, looked away, dropping her hand.

The princess smiled at this, and strolled alongside Rancis.

* * *

They stopped at a clearing and decided to set camp. Princess Vanellope rested on a boulder, resting her sore legs from running. "I'm beat," she groaned, stretching her sore body. Rancis dug through his bag and pulled out a canteen of milk and a cookie. He took a cookie for himself and offered it to the princess.

"Milk and cookies, your majesty?" he offered.

She smiled gratefully and took the canteen and two cookies, slowly devouring the yummy treats. "I forgot how yummy these things were," she said, swallowing down a cookie bite.

"Well, save some for later. I may grow hungry," he scolded teasingly.

Princess Vanellope smiled and continued chowing down her cookie, guzzling down her milk along with it. She wiped off the crumbs and milk mustache off of her mouth and watched as Rancis began to set up the tents. "Want some help?" she asked, watching Rancis as he began fumbling with the tent pieces.

"No, I'm good," he gently declined, struggling with the tent poles. "I don't want to make you do all this work-" He was interrupted when his "tent" collapsed on him, poles sticking out in all different angles. Rancis emerged from the mess and frowned at Princess Vanellope's giggling. "I suppose you could you better?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow. Princess Vanellope smirked at him and walked towards the other tent and began working diligently. Rancis grew silent when, in a matter of seconds, her tent was already put up perfectly, everything in place. He gaped in shock as she dusted her hands off and smirked at him.

"You're gonna get flies if you don't keep your mouth closed, Fluggerbutter," she warned, sitting back down on the boulder.

Rancis closed his mouth, still in shock. "H-how you do that so fast?" he asked, perplexed. She slightly giggled and smiled, her head rested on the palm of her head. "My dad and I used to go camping," she explained nonchalantly. She made her way over to Rancis' unorthodox tent and dragged him out of the mess. It wasn't long till Rancis had his tent up and going.

"Thank you," Rancis said.

"No problem," Princess Vanellope said in reply.

The two of them sat on logs, just staring at the blazing fire. It was silent between them; the only thing you could here was the howling of the wolves and the crickets chirping. Rancis poked the fire with a stick, not knowing how to break to awkward silence between him and the princess.

"So," he started timidly. "You okay?"

Princess Vanellope looked up from the fire and nodded at him. "Yeah, I'm okay," she answered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I just can't believe this is really happening. I never thought this day would actually come." She looked at Rancis with a smile. "How is it that you could do something that no other game character could do?"

Rancis shrugged. "It's not about what you're going after, but how you attain it is the key, princess." He said wisely, waving the stick around in the air.

Princess Vanellope silently laughed under her breath, then stared at the moon, staying quiet for a while. Rancis went over and sat next to her, following her gaze. "You know, probably back in _Sugar Rush_, I'm sure your dad is thinking about you right now." He assured her. She looked at Rancis with a hopeful glimmer in her eyes.

"You think so?"

Rancis took her hands in his and smiled softly.

"I know so."

They gazed in each other's eyes, not saying anything, until Princess Vanellope chuckled slightly. "Uh, I think it's time we turn in for the night." She patted his hand and got, going into her tent. "Good night, Rancis." Rancis smiled and waved slightly. "Good night, princess." He said. She smiled at him and smiled, then went inside her tent and zipped up the door. Rancis sat alone, just staring at the fire. He tossed the stick in the fire and got up, heading to his tent. Taking a final glance at the princess's tent, Rancis sighed heavily and headed in his own tent. But he was oblivious that a mysterious figure was watching them not far from their campsite. The silhouette cackled as a black raven descended on his shoulder.

"This young boy will lure the princess right into my trap. Soon, she and all of _Sugar Rush_ will meet their doom!" it cackled, then slipped into the midnight darkness.


	4. the attack

_Ch.4_

Dusk turned to dawn in a matter of hours, and bluebirds flew past by, tweeting merrily. Radiant sunlight passed through Rancis' tent door. He moaned in his sleep as he began to wake up from his slumber. Slowly, he opened his eyes drowsily and sat upright, rubbing the tiredness from his eyes. Taking a whiff of the air, he caught the scent of something cooking, and decided to nvestigate. He peeked out his tent and was a bit surprised to see none other than the princess herself cooking over the fire. She looked up and held up a plate of eggs and bacon smiling.

"Good morning," she greeted cheerfully. "Care for some eggs and bacon?"

Rancis stepped out and beamed gratefully. "Thank you," he said, taking the plate from her hands and began devouring down, sitting down a log. Vanellope laughed at him while he ingested his food quickly, getting crumbs all over his mouth.

"Slow down, there's enough for everyone," she giggled. "You got food all over your mouth."

"What?" he muffled, food crammed in his mouth. Vanellope walked over and removed her gloves, then taking his chin into her hands and began brushing the crumbs off of Rancis' mouth. Rancis' face grew flustered; his cheeks were as red a fire hydrant. His gaze was fixed on Vanellope, a goofy smile on his face. Vanellope softly brushed his cheeks and looked into Rancis' blue eyes, a tint of red bloomed on her face. Her hand rested on Rancis' cheek as they both stared into each other's eyes.

"You have beautiful eyes," Rancis mumbled, laughed quietly.

"Oh…" Vanellope gasped softly, her blush darkening. A shy smile slowly grew on her face as she fixed a strand of hair back in its place. Brushing the last bits of crumbs off of Rancis' cheek with her thumb, she slowly pulled away. "I, u, better start packing. We have a long day- I mean, way, ahead of us." She timidly walked, slowly pulling her hand away from Rancis' cheek.

"R-right. Better… get… moving…" he said, his voice trailing off as he stared after her. A foolish lopsided grin still plastered on his face. He got up and began packing up. After all. It was a _long_ way back to Sugar Rush.

* * *

Vanellope and Rancis strolled through the forest, talking diligently with one another. They sometimes laughed at one's joke, or tell funny and embarrassing stories. Vanellope seemed to warm up to Rancis more as the conversation went on. And he warmed up to her. As they continued to stroll through the forest, Rancis saw a bird's nest and saw that it was empty, only seeing some loose blue feathers and two bird legs lying around.

"Huh. That's weird. Isn't there supposed to be a mama bird and some eggs around here?" he wondered aloud, holding up a feather.

Vanellope's face grew red immediately as she grabbed Rancis' hand and pulled him along. "Oh, uh, m-maybe they just flew off or something. You know how birds are these days. Completely unpredictable." She rambled on, laughing nervously. Once they passed the bird's nest, she slowed down her pace, and dropped Rancis' hand, much to hid disappointment. He watched her as she danced merrily, a smile on is face.

"Y-you know, princess, you're not what I thought you were at all," he divulged, his hands on his hips.

She spun gracefully in a twirl and smiled at him kindly. "Well, maybe you shouldn't judge someone before you get to know them." She simply advised, walking off. Rancis just stared at her in surprise as she sang softly, swaying side by side, when a flash of black whisked her off her feet and landed on a nearby tree branch.

"Princess!" Rancis called after her, running after the kidnapper.

Rancis looked up and saw a boy dressed in dark blue and black. He wore a navy blue T-shirt with black tiger stripes, black jeans, and black boots. Over his shirt was a navy blue and black fleece jacket, and on his hands were black fingerless gloves. He smirked at Vanellope flirtatiously he firmly pulled her closer by the waist.

"My lady, don't be so frightened! I'm just simply here to rescue you from this-" he grabbed her arm and began kissing up her arm. "Amateur."

"Hey, she's my princess! Go find your own!" Rancis ordered.

The boy rolled his eyes at Rancis, clearly annoyed. "Hey, amateur! Can't you see I'm a little _busy _here?" he snapped, gesturing over to Vanellope. Vanellope grew furious. No one spoke to Rancis like that. She stabbed in him the chest and exclaimed angrily, "Look, pal! I don't know who you think you are!" The boy frowned sorrowfully as he shook his head.

"Of course! Forgive me, my lady. Oh, boys!" he called out, chuckling at Vanellope. Out of nowhere, a guitarist comes out of nowhere and begins playing a song. A group of boys jumped out of bushes and started dancing. The boy swung down and sang along to the music.

_Ta, da, da, da, da, da, whoo__  
__I steal from the rich and give to the needy__  
__He takes a wee percentage, but I'm not greedy__  
__I rescue pretty damsels, man, I'm good__  
__What a guy, ha-ha, Danny Dusk!__  
__Break it down_

The boy, or preferably Danny Dusk, began dancing with the others. Rancis rolled his eyes and looked at Vanellope, who shrugged at this.

_I like an honest fight and a saucy little maid__  
__What he's basically saying is he likes to get...paid_

_So, when a kid in the bush grabs a lady by the tush_

_That's bad, that's bad, that's bad, that's bad__  
__When a beauty's with a baby it makes me awfully mad__  
__He's mad, he's really mad_

Danny drew out a knife and pointed towards Rancis, who backed away.

_Now I'll take my blade and ram it through your heart__  
__Keep your eyes on me, boys, 'Cause I'm about to staaa..._

Before Danny could say anything else, Rancis' fist came in contact with his face. Rancis grabbed Danny's shirt and threw him towards a tree, knocking him unconscious. He looked at a beaming Vanellope and moaned. "Man that was annoying!" Rancis groaned, facing the angry boys. "Why you little-" one of them growled, throwing a punch. Rancis grabbed his fist with his and and punched his guts. The other guys ran to fight off Rancis, but Rancis grew unbeatable. He punched, kicked, threw people around against others. He even slammed the guitar against the guitarist's head. After kicking the last guy to the ground, Rancis panted and smiled at the shocked princess, who stared at the handsome boy.

"It's safe to come down now, your highness," he assured her, his arms out wide. 'I'll catch you."

"It's pretty far down," she complained, looking down at the ground below. "Are you sure?"

He beamed and nodded. "I'll catch you. I promise," he assured her. With that said, Vanellope leaped in the air and closed her eyes tightly, preparing for the inpact. Instead, she felt a strong pair of arms grab her and hold her close. Tentatively, she slowly opened her eyes and saw Rancis staring down at her, a smile on his face.

"Didn't I tell I'd catch you, princess?" he asked, a smirk on his face.

Vanellope grew quiet as she stared into Rancis' eyes, her face as red as an apple. She giggled bashfully and nodded. Rancis put her down and they began walking off, their faces burning red. Danny painfully looked up and saw the two walk off, and he grew furious, putting two fingers in his mouth, he let out a loud whistle. It wasn't long until a pack of wolves jumped out and glared at Danny.

"Get them!" he ordered, watching them take off.

Rancis heard barking behind him, and turned around. His eyes grew wide in fright as his eyes dawned upon the wolves chasing after him. "Let's go!" he yelled, taking Vanellope's hand and breaking in a run. The duo ran and ran, dodging trees and jumping logs. Vanellope looked behind her and saw that the wolves were gaining speed. Turning her view back in front of her, she hollered out, "They're gaining on us!" The wolves growled and slashed their claws at them, tearing off bits of Vanellope's dress off. Rancis began o run faster, but Vanellope could keep up with him, and tripped.

"Rancis!" she screamed, tears spilling out of her eyes. "Help me!"

Rancis stopped abruptly and saw Vanellope getting severely attacked by the wolves, her scream of pain ringing in his ears. He charged back over to them and began fighting off the beasts. They jumped on him and scratched his face, but Rancis pushed them off and punched their muzzles.

"Stay away from her, you monsters!" he screamed, his eyes flared with anger.

Rage took over Rancis as he kicked, punched and rammed the wolves, one by one. Finally, the wolves couldn't take this beating anymore and ran off, whimpering and howling in pain. Rancis panted heavily as he wiped off the blood from his cheek. He turned his gaze on Vanellope, who clearly needed medical attention. Her pretty pink dress was torn into rags, and bite marks all over her arm and legs. Small scratches were slashed across her cheek, blood trickling down. Rancis sighed and carefully picked her, being careful not to hurt Vanellope. Taking her backpack and draping it around his shoulder, he set off to find a place where the two could heal their wounds and rest. Rancis looked down at the unconscious princess, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

"Don't you worry, princess. I'll take care of you, I promise," he whispered in her ear, continuing down the path.


	5. secrets unveiled

_Ch.5_

The day passed by quickly as Rancis contined his journey to find shelter for the poor princess, who had just been viciously mugged by untamed wolves. Or in Rancis' words, aggressive savages. Vanellope's body grew cold by the minute, and Rancis grew concerned for her sake. Holding her close to his body to keep her warm, he mumbled softly in her ear, "Don't you worry, your majesty. I won't let you down," He looked around his surroundings to see if there was any spot they could rest and saw a nice clearing not far from where he was standing, a clear, glistening pond next to it. Not want to waste any time, he dashed towards it, being careful not to drop the fragile young girl in his arms. He slowed down to a jog as he reached it, and gingerly placed her under a tree. He took of his jacket and draped over her shoulder, watching her slightly shivering. Taking a rag out, he went to the pond and dampened it good, wringing out the water, and made his way towards her. Crouching down, he began to wash the blood from her face, making sure to clean out the cuts. He worked diligently as he cleaned her tender wounds, being careful to hurt her. Just as he took off her boots and socks, she began to come to. Moaning, she rubbed her eyes and looked at Rancis, who was cleaning the blood of her legs.

"Rancis?" she asked softly, staring at the boy.

Rancis looked up and saw the princess's beautiful hazel eyes staring at him with curiosity. "Y-you're awake. I was getting worried about her," he stuttered, rubbing his neck. "H-how are you feeling?" she looked at him and smiled gently, a faint blush bloomed on her face. "I'm fine, knowing that I'm in your care, that is," she answered, her blush deepening. Rancis smiled and got back to work, his face betraying him with a blush. He maneuvered the cloth to the bottom of her foot, which caused her to giggle.

"No, stop!" she cried out hysterically, frantically kicking. "That tickles!"

Rancis grinned devilishly and, despite her cries of plea, began tickling her feet. She tried to get him off, but he grasped on to her foot and continued to tickle her feet. Tears welled up in her eyes as she laughed uncontrollably. Her stomach was hurting, and she could hardly breathe. "Please stop, I can't breathe, Rancis! Please!" she begged desperately. Rancis smirked and dropped her, laughing at her teasingly.

"Who knew you could be so ticklish? This is hilarious!" he laughed, throwing his head back.

The next thing he knew, he was tackled on the ground, stunned as he stared into Vanellope's mischievous eyes. "You think it's funny huh?" she asked, removing her tattered gloves. "Well, why don't you give it a try?" Before Rancis could protest, she took off his shoes and socks, and began tickling his foot. Just like Vanellope, Rancis kicked his foot, trying to escape Vanellope's torturing. He laughed so hard, tears began to cascade down his freckled cheeks.

"Ok, ok, I give! Just stop, I can't breathe!" he pleaded. Vanellope cocked an eyebrow and smirked.

"You've had enough, pretty boy?" she asked.

He nodded his head rapidly, making Vanellope laugh. She dropped his leg, leaving him panting heavily. "That'll teach you to mess with-" She was interrupted when Rancis came up behind her and scooped her up from her feet, stunning her.

"R-rancis?!" she exclaimed in shock, searching his eyes.

Rancis smirked wickedly and headed towards the pond. "W-wait, what are you- Rancis, don't you dare!" she yelled, making him laugh. "Happy swimming!" he chuckled, then tossed her into the water. She flailed her as she came in contact with the water. He laughed at her when he saw her rose up to the surface, sputtering out water. She glared at the peanut butter boy and growled.

"You think this if funny, fluggerbutter?!" she snapped. Climbing out of the water, she grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him right in as well. "Why don't _you_ cool off?"

Rancis spurted and snorted out water, and shook his head. "Oh, you're dead meat now," he chuckled, pouncing on her. Throughout the afternoon, the two played in the water, enjoying each other's company. They splashed with the water, constantly dunking their heads in. Once they grew tired, they remained in an embrace, staring into each other's eyes romantically. Rancis saw how beautiful her eyes sparkled in the sunlight, and he felt his face burning up. Slowly, the two leaned in towards each other, preparing to close the gap in between them, when they were interrupted by chirping. They looked up and saw some birds teasing them, making some kissy at them. The two kids blushed at this, not knowing what to say, and broke their embrace.

"Um… I think that's enough water play for one day," Vanellope laughed uncomfortably, wading out of the water.

"Right, well… I'll set up camp," Rancis deadpanned, a disappointed look on his face. He two crawled out of the water and glared at the birds. "Why'd you have to come and ruin it?" he complained, running after the young monarch. Once catching up to her, she smiled, her face bright red, and said, "That was pretty fun, by the way." Rancis smiled and took her hand, his face burning bright red.

"C'mon, we have to set up your camp." He said.

* * *

It was nearly the end of the day, with the beautiful red-orange sunset bringing color into the sky. Rancis threw some wood into the fire, watching the sparks fly up to the sky. He pulled out the map from his backpack and examined it. "We should be close to the exit by now. We'll get to _Sugar Rush_ in no time." He reported to himself.

"What about _Sugar Rush_?" a voice interrupted his thoughts.

"I was saying that we're not-" Rancis looked up and his jaw dropped at the sight of Vanellope. "Far."

Vanellope laughed at his expression and sat down. She was no longer wearing her ragged princess dress anymore; she now wore a mint green hoodie with red twizzler stitches and laces, a double layer peanut butter cup skirt, mint green, white, and purple mismatched leggings, and black boots with pink icing underneath. Her hair was up in a ponytail, secured with a red twizzler as a hair tie and various candy sprinkled all over. Rancis stood there, staring at her with an open jaw, not knowing what to say. Vanellope saw his expression and giggled.

"Didn't we talk about you keeping your jaw closed?" she asked, her hands on her hips.

Rancis quickly closed his jaw, and beagn trying to make an excuse. "It's just… you look… wow," he stammered, a goofy smile on his face. Vanellope smiled at this and sat down next to him, making him nervous. "'Wow'? Um, thank you?" she giggled. She sighed and placed her head on Rancis' shoulder, cuddling up to him. Wrapping his arms around her, Rancis pulled her closer to him, let her rest her head on his chest.

"You smell like peanut butter and chocolate, Rancis. I like chocolate," she murmured, loud enough for him to hear.

He blushed at this, but didn't comment on it. "You smell like vanilla. It's goes with you perfectly," he commented. She laughed under her breath, enhaling the fresh scent of chocolate and peanut butter mingling with each other. The scent was so intriguing to the young girl she could taste it in her mouth. The two just stood in their embrace, not saying a word at all. Rancis stared at the fire intently, his mind filled with questions. Vanellope buried her head in Rancis' chest and felt a fizziness surround her body. Her eyes shot open and she looked down at her hands, seeing that it began to look distorted.

"No, not now," she quietly pleaded, pulling her hoodie sleeve.

Rancis realized that something was wrong, and he pulled away to look into her eyes. "Is everything okay, your highness?" he asked warily. She looked at him and nodded, smiling at him.

"Y-yeah, everything's a-okay. No need to worry about me," she said hiding her disfiguring arm behind her arm. Rancis looked at her, confused. She got up and began walked away from him, frantically trying to find a way out of this. "I, uh, left something back at the pond. I'll be right back!" she said rapid, then broke off in a run.

"Princess, where are you going? The pond's over here. Wait!" Rancis called after her, then following her into the woods. Vanellope ran and ran as half of her body was beginning to .alter around her. She heard footsteps behind her, knowing that Rancis was following her, and sped up. She felt her body changing, her skin tingling. She came upon a giant tree that had a hole in its trunk and slipped in. Rancis came by, searching around. Vanellope sucked in her breath, watching him intently. He shook his head and dashed off, yelling out, "Princess, where are you?"

"I'm sorry, Rancis, but I can't let you see me like this." She whispered, stepping out of her hiding place. Checking if the coast was clear she ran off down the path. She didn't notice that Rancis spotted her from his behind the bushes and followed her. Vanellope dashed off like the wind, her ponytail whipped back and forth, until she stopped, falling to her knees. She panted heavily, trying to catch her breath. The full moon's light beamed down upon her as a sudden transformation took place. Red sparkles formed around her, lifting her in the air momentarily. Soon her entire body warped around her, blue pixels distorting her. She landed gently on the ground, and looked at her now glitching self.

"Your majesty?!"

Vanellope looked up and was shocked to see Rancis right in front of her, his eyes widened with shock and surprised.

He saw the transformation.

He saw her glitch.


	6. going home

_Ch.6_

The time passed by between them, and everything stood still. Rancis stared at the princess, whose eyes grew small at the sight of him. No one said a word. They didn't know what to say to each other. Rancis eyes just stared at the girl before, trying to comprehend on what just happened.

"Y-your majesty. Y-you're glitching. H-how did this-?" he asked, stopping his sentence.

Vanellope looked at Rancis with moist eyes, tears getting ready to spill out. "Rancis, I know I kept this from you and I'm sorry," she started. "But I don't want to you to leave me! You're my hero!" Falling down to her knees, she sobbed, "You mean the world to me, even if we haven't known each other for a long time!" she sobbed uncontrollably, tears cascading down her cheek like a rushing waterfall. Rancis looked at her sympathetically, and walked over to her. He crouched down her level and tilted her chin upwards, so he could look into her eyes clearly.

"I'm not going anywhere without you, your majesty," he vowed, wiping the heavily descending tears of her face. "I came into this game to get you, and I'm not leaving without you. I promise upon my soul."

Vanellope looked into his eyes and smiled. She launched herself into his arms and cried in his chest. Rancis smiled and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer. "Come on. Do you want to head back to the camp?" he asked her, rubbing he back comfortingly. She nodded. Rancis took her hand and pulled her up, walked off hand in hand.

* * *

"I'm sorry I ran away from you Rancis. I just didn't know what to do if you found out," Vanellope admitted. "I just didn't know how to react if _anyone_ found out."

"It's okay. But how'd this happen to you?" Rancis inquired. Vanellope sighed staring at the dancing fire, a single tear crawling down her face. "It was the night that changed my life forever. The night when me and my father practiced ball dancing together."

*Flashback*

_King Candy and his beloved daughter, Princess Vanellope Von Schweetz. The two of them were in the throne room, waltzing around in sync. King Candy had vanellope's hand in his, whereas his free hand was set on her waist. Vanellope placed her hand on his shoulder, smiling at her father ever so sweetly. King Candy returned the smile and pulled his little cupcake close to him, as if he never wants to let go. Vanellope giggled at her father, but she was interrupted by an evil cackle from nowhere. The two stopped dancing and looked around, when a flash of lightning and black smoke erupted from the middle of the room. When the smoke cleared up, a pale game character with yellow eyes and teeth, wore a red jumpsuit with a white helmet with a red "T", appeared before the two. He once again let out a malicious cackle._

"_TURBO?!" King Candy exclaimed in horror, shielding his daughter from the villain as she screamed in fright._

_Turbo grinned devilishly, revealing his yellow teeth. "Hello, your majesty," he said, sneering at the two._

"_What are you doing here, Turbo?!" the king asked him angrily, signaling the oreo guards. They surrounded Turbo and pointed their spears him. "You have no business here!" Turbo merely just laughed at this, infuriating the king. Turbo glared at the king, shooting him a toothy kind of smirk. _

'_What are you doing here?" the king growled out once more._

"_Why, I'm here to take your place as ruler!" Turbo answered._

"_As if I would ever hand down my beloved kingdom to a rascal such as yourself!"_

"_Then I'll have to take it from you by force!"_

_Turbo pulled out a black crooked wand and pointed it at the young girl. "Wynchel, Duncan, get Vanellope out of here-NOW!" the monarch ordered. Vanellope held on to Wynchel's hand as they ran towards the grand ballroom doors, dodging the eerie light Turbo constantly shot at them. _

"_You leave my daughter alone, Turbo!" King Candy yelled, tackling the villain to the ground. Vanellope looked behind her shoulder and stopped, watching her father fight off the criminal, concern filled her eyes. _

"_Daddy!" she called out. "Leave him alone, you monster!"_

_Turbo swung a punch across the ruler's cheek and glowered at the girl, holding his scepter in front of him, reciting a curse. Dark red aura danced around Turbo as he began to reiterate the spell._

_"By night one way__  
__By day another.__  
__This shall be the norm__  
__Until you find true love's first kiss__  
__And then take love's true form"_

_A beam of red lightning exploded from the tip of the scepter, making its way to Vanellope. Everyone watched this in fear as the lighting struck Vanellope in her chest. She screamed in pain as a sudden change to her code began to react. Red sparkles formed around her, lifting her in the air momentarily. Soon her entire body warped around her, blue pixels disfigured herself. Once the transformation was complete, Vanellope fell to the ground hard, moaning in soreness. _

"_Vanellope!" King Candy cried._

_He ran towards her and gingerly picked her up. "Are you all right?" She moaned and slowly opened her eyes, glitching in the process. King Candy looked at her shocked, stuttering, "V-vanellope! Y-your code!" She looked at her hands and saw that she began glitching with no control whatsoever. King Candy hugged his daughter, who cried on his shoulder, and glared daggers at the culprit angrily._

"_What did you do to my daughter?" he demanded._

_Turbo laughed manically. "I casted an enchantment upon her. For the rest of her life, she'll be a virus to other game character's life!" he explained, letting out an evil cackle. Vanellope looked at him with fire in her eyes. "Change me back!" she yelled. _

"_Tsk, tsk, tsk! I'm afraid I can't do that. Only true love can break the spell. I, obviously, will not take that opportunity. Now," Turbo held out his hand and levitated Vanellope in the air, guffawed evilly. "If you don't mind, I'd like to make a proper depart with my newfound __prisoner. __It's been a pleasure meeting you, your majesty. Till we meet again!" Bowing mockingly to the shocked king, Turbo disappeared in a puff of black smoke, with vanellope in tow._

"_DADDY!" she screamed loudly, fresh tears slithering down her face._

*end flashback*

"Turbo locked in the castle since that night, and I never got to see my father again. Every 'knight in shining armor' that came couldn't fight off the dragon, so I was stuck there in that dark prison." Vanellope finished, wiping the tears off her face. "I'm acting pretty stupid, aren't I?"

"No, it's okay. You're going through some hard times. I understand," rancis answered. He pulled her in a hug and hugged her tightly. "If you need a shoulder, I'm here."

Vanellope smiled and rested her head on his shoulder, taking the scent of peanut butter and chocolate. They stayed in that embrace, snuggling with each other.

"If I may ask," Vanellope asked. "Do you know anything about my father? Is he okay?"

Rancis frowned at this and shook his head. He knew that she would ask sooner or later. "I'm sorry, but after you left, your father went into a state of seclusion. He refused to come out of the castle. No one knows if he's okay or not. I'm sorry."

Vanellope looked at him with sadness, but smiled it off. "I guess we have to wait to find out, hm?" she took off Rancis' hat and placed it on top of her head. "Think I look good in this hat?" she asked. Rancis laughed and nodded, making her laugh. He took her hand and pulled her to her feet. "Come on, let's dance for a while," Rancis coaxed. Vanellope didn't hesitate. Before the two knew it, they were dancing as if they were just invited to a ball. But as the two were enjoying the precious moment, they were completely unaware that they were being spied on. The cloaked figure watched the two children dance gracefully through a crystal ball and smirked.

"It's time, my pet," he cackled. "Everything is falling into place. All we need now is to prepare the monsters and lure the princess and her knight here."

A loud hissing was heard from behind the cloaked figure, claws slashing its cloak. The figure smirked, a low chuckle was heard. "Look on the bright side. You get to see that little glitch live before I'm through with her." He growled.

* * *

The events had passed by so quickly last night. It wasn't long until the sun rose high up in the sky, signaling that it was another day. Vanellope and Rancis had already had breakfast, packed up their bags, bathed themselves, and were on their way to the exit. According to Rancis, the exit shouldn't be too far. If anything, they were coming closer to the exit. Vanellope grew ecstatic with every step that came her way, jumping over logs and swinging on low tree branches, and rambling about things that just popped in her mind. She even told some stories about her time she had spent with her father.

"I can't believe this is actually happening!" she squealed with delight. "I can't believe I can leave this game and bury it in my memories!"

Rancis smiled at the princess and smiled as she ranted on. "I mean, I always dreamed of this moment, but I never thought it would actually." She stopped in her tracks and held her stomach. "Hold up, I think I need to vurp."

Rancis looked at the princess, confused. "Vurp?"

She nodded and spun around him. "Yeah, you know, when a vomit and a burp combines and rises up together. Oh this is so exciting!" she cried out, jumping up and down. "And it's all thanks to you, fluggerbutter!" she hugged him behind his back and rubbed her nose against his cheek. Rancis blushed, smiling.

"Don't thank me yet. We still have to go through Game Central Station, and when we enter _Sugar Rush_ and you see your dad, _then _you thank me."

Vanellope smiled and ran ahead, performing cartwheels and flips. Rancis stopped and stared at her, lovestruck. Throughout this entire journey, he noticed that everytime he was around her, he had this strange feeling inside, and he didn't understand it at the time, but after the constant cuddling, play times, and dancing, Rancis realized that he liked Princess Vanellope Von Schweetz.

'_Who knew,_' Rancis thought, a foolish grin on his face. _' That I'd feel this way for the most prettiest girl here in this arcade?'_

"Hey, you coming, slowpoke? Or am I gonna leave without you?" Vanellope called after him.

Rancis snapped out of his trance and chased after her. The exit was right before them, a smile of happiness on their faces. They both dashed for it, running as fast as their chibi legs could carry them. They reached the tram and hopped in, settling down as the tram traveled down the power cord. A woman's voice greeted them to Game Central Station as they hopped off and went through the gate.

"I missed this place so much!" Rancis cried out, getting down on him knees and kissed the tile floor. Vanellope searched the crowd for their gate, and jumped like a kangaroo when she spotted it. "There it is, Rancis! Let's go!" she laughed, taking Rancis' hand and running through the crowd. Vanellope grew giddier and giddier when she came close.

"I can't wait to see _Sugar Rush_ again!" she said. Suddenly, a crowd of candy citizens and racers dashed out of the exit, crying out in fear. Rancis watched them run off, confused. He felt Vanellope's hand on his and followed her gaze, their eyes grew big in shock.

Sugar Rush was no longer filled with sugar.

Roaming the game were infectious virus-like monsters terrorizing the game.


	7. Turbo's invasion

_Ch.7_

Vanellope and Rancis glanced at the dead-looking landscape, stunned at the sight. They walked through the gate and just stood there, watching the beasts vandalize the game, consuming everything in sight. Rancis shook his head in confusion, running his hand through his hair. How long has he been gone, and how did this come to happen? Vanellope covered her mouth and turned to Rancis, getting ready to cry.

"What happened here?" she asked.

"I… I don't know," he said, taking her hand. Caressing the side of her head, he smiled at her and pulled her in a hug. "But whatever or whoever's the cause of, I'll protect you from the villain." Vanellope smiled through her blush but screamed when she saw a cy-bug coming their way. Drawing his sword, Rancis charged and stabbed it though its chest, watching it wither in pain. Grabbing Vanellope's hand, they ran down the rainbow bridge towards the raceway. Rancis slashed every cy-bug that came their way, holding Vanellope close to him. Once reaching the raceway, they were astonished to see how badly demolished it was. Everywhere they looked they saw a cy-bug crawling around devouring anything that caught their eye and shape-shifting their body.

"This is a complete disaster," Rancis said, gazing at the landscape.

"_Sugar Rush_ wasn't like this before," Vanellope added, staring at the dark sky. Rancis drew out his sword and began fighting off the beasts, when he was suddenly stricken to the ground. "Rancis!" Vanelloe cried out, running towards him. She kneeled down to him and stared at him, worried. Slowly, he turned around and smiled at the princess, assuring her that he was okay. Vanellope smiled and hugged him, but their moment was ruined when an evil laughter rang in their ears.

"I see you both made it out alive! I would have thought the wolves would have taken care of you by now."

They looked up and saw the cloaked figure hovering in over them. "Wait… you're the guy who sent me on this trip," rancis acknowledged. The cloaked smirked and removed his hood, shocking the two kids.

"TURBO?!" they cried, astonished. Rancis shook his head; a knot began to form inside his stomach. "You were behind this? I knew something was off when I first met you." Rancis retorted. "Why are you here? And what are these things?" Vanellope demanded.

"These are my henchmen, from a game called Hero's Duty. I brought them here so they can destroy this world, and help me build my new empire!" he yelled, laughing wickedly. "After casting the spell on you, I locked you up in the tower so you and your 'knight in shining armor' could come back here, and I could take the pleasure into killing you! So I spent my time here in _Sugar Rush_, trying to find a worthy bait. And when I came across this pretty boy, I knew he'd fall for my trap. Stupidly, he did. Rescuing you, defending you, really, it was very interesting to watch. But the fact that he actually brought you back here is a shocker to me. I almost can't believe!"

"I can't believe a monster like you exist in the arcade! You shouldn't be here. The world would be happier if there wasn't someone like _you_ in it!" Vanellope screamed, her eyes glowering.

Turbo growled and struck lightning down at him, making Vanellope fall to her feet. "You think _I'm _a monster?" he asked in a demonic tone. "You should see your father!"

Vanellope's eye grew wide, suddenly getting worried. "What did you do to my dad?" she stipulated, her voice shaking.

Turbo grinned wickedly and flew, his laugh ringing in the air. Vanellope looked at Rancis with moist eyes. "Rancis, we have to go to the castle! I need to see my father! If anything were to happen to him-" She shook her head in fear, not wanting to finish the sentence. Rancis took her hand comfortingly and frantically searched around to find some type of transportation. At that moment, Rancis spotted his kart not far from here and slowly got up, ignoring his still sore body. Taking Vanellope's hand, he dashed towards quickly and jumped in, starting the kart.

"Get in!" he yelled, putting on his helmet.

"There's no room," she said.

"Sit on my lap, but hurry, we really don't have much time!" he exclaimed. With the help of Rancis he got in his kart and settled on his lap, making the two blush. But, nonetheless, Rancis shook out the thought of Vanellope for the sake of the arcade and stomped his foot on the gas pedal and they sped off towards the castle. Vanellope clutched on Rancis' jacket, the wind rushing through her hair. She felt something wrong, as if someone was telling that they were in trouble. Once they reached the castle, a sudden chill blew in her face.

"Well, here we are," Rancis said, turning off the engine.

Vanellope faintly smiled at Rancis and got off of his lap, jumping off the kart. Rancis followed her, putting his sword in his scabbard (he might have stole some things from Danny Dusk back then during their little meeting). Vanellope pushed open the doors and walked in her home, looking around. The door slammed behind Rancis, and the two began walking down the corridor. Vanellope looked around her and saw that the corridor looked trashed. Many things were broken, and some portraits were even shredded. Vanellope continued to gaze at her devastated home, a shiver going down her spine.

"I don't like this at all," she said, rubbing her arms.

Rancis gave her shoulders a supporting squeeze, making her smile. "It's just that I have a weird feeling that we're not the only one here," she added. Rancis smiled and took her hand, hauling her along. Two grand doors appeared out of the darkness, and Rancis pushed it open, causing it to creak noisily. The luxurious room was dark and grotesque. A weak light gleamed through the stained windows, making at least somewhat comfortable. Vanellope stopped in the middle of the room and closed her eyes, memories replaying in her head.

"Rancis," Vanellope piped up. "This is the ballroom."

Rancis gazed the ballroom before him and grimaced. "Not the luxury I had in mind, your schweetzness," he teased. Vanellope rolled her eyes at his punny wordplay and looked around. Suddenly, a loud hiss rang their ears. Covering their ears, they tried to block the noise from their ears, but it pierced through. The noise ceased, reducing to utter silence once more.

"W-what was that?" Vanellope squeaked.

"S-s-something tells me we weren't invited to the ball," he added.

Rancis made his way towards her, when he slipped on the ground. Checking the ground, he saw that he slipped on a strange purple substance. "Uh, Vanellope? We should go. We're not the only ones here," he said warily, spying on the ceiling. Vanellope just stood there in her spot, searching the place warily, when she felt something drip on her shoulder. She scraped it off and saw that if was a purple splotch. Confused, she looked over at Rancis if he had made the same discovery. But she stopped herself when she saw a petrified Rancis, his widened eyes staring past her shoulder.

"Vanellope, l-look out!" he cried.

She turned around and came face-to-face with a furious cy-bug. It had the body structure of a silverfish and an expandable neck. The coors were mostly purple, orange, and pink, and its claws were a darker tone of purple. It had six orange striped legs; four large ones, and two on its chest. Its head had purple markings on it, along with a spiky golden crown. Hot pink sugarcoated wings sprouted from his back, and had cufflinks, a lace collar, and a red bow tie. Vanellope gasped and screamed, running away from the creature. It growled at the noise and began attacking. Rancis got in between them and drew out his sword, fighting off the ferocious monster. Vanellope ran towards a set of stairs and watched the two battle each other, quivering. The beast hissed, growled and snarled in anger, slashing Rancis with his claws. Though Rancis now had many scars on him, he kept his composure and continued fighting.

"Vanellope, get out of here and find a place to hide!" Rancis yelled, dodging the cybug's swipe of his claw.

Instead of doing what Rancis told her to do,she glitched to the other side of the room and watched the battle intently. She eyed the monster with interest, trying to figure out why is was not like the others. She continue to stare at the creature, rying to figure out why it was so different from all the others. It was then she realized that the cy-bug possessed human features, unlike the other cy-bugs that was roaming Sugar Rush. Upon closer inspection, she realized that only thing human about it was its head. Her eyes were fixed upon a portrait of her father looking, looking all happy. Her eyes flickered between the portrait and the monstrous cy-bug, trying to figure out why they seem to share a resemblance.

"Could it be that the cy-bug be-?" she asked aloud, but stopeed when a loud brought her back to Earth.

Rancis and the giant brute continued to fight, things quickly escalating. The creature hissed suddenly whapped its claws against Rancis' chest, throwing Rancis across the room. He collided smack with the wall, then fell to the ground in a heavily.

"Rancis!" she cried.

Glitching over to him, she crouched and helped him up, his arms were slightly bleeding, and he had a bruise on his cheek, but otherwise okay. He opened his eyes and smiled at Vanellope, stroking her cheek. She held his wrist and smiled tearfully at him. "Are you okay?" she asked, rubbing her nose against his cheek. Rancis smiled and nodded, kissing her hand in assurance. Vanellope smiled, but the tender moment between them was ruined when Vanellope saw the creature making its way towards them. Brushing off the pain, Rancis quickly got up and prepared himself for battle. The colossal cy-bug creeped closer and closer, its eyes fixed on Vanellope. Vanellope took Rancis hand and bolted out of there. They ran down the corridor and rushed thought the door. But outside was a swarm of cy-bugs waiting for them outside. Vanellope cowered back inside, whimpering in fear.

"Vanellope, get inside and find a place for shelter!" Rancis commanded, drawing out his sword (again) and fighting off the cy-bugs.

Like a lightning bolt, Vanellope ran in, a few cy-bugs following her. She quickened her run, trying to escape the creatures. The ballroom doors where she first met up with the hybrid appeared before her, and, seeing that she had no other option, bolted through it. Shrieking in fear, she glitched over to a corner, where she through she'd be safe. The cy-bugs spotted her and slowly made her way towards her. Bracing herself for the impact, she closed her eyes and cowered back, when a large shadow loomed over her. She opened her eyes and saw that the cy-bug hybrid from before got in front of her, arching its back hissing at the others.

"Wh-what are you doing?" she asked, wiping off the tears that were now crawling down her face.

Instead of answering, the cy-bug charged after the cy-bugs, ferociously attacking them. She watched in fright as the hybrid scratch their faces and biting down on their shells. Loud hissing and shrills of scream bounced off the walls, making Vanellope even more terrified. Soon, a dead silence hung. Vanellope slowly got up to her feet and made her way to the hybrid cy-bug. It grunted at the noise Vanellope's boots made, and turned its head in her direction. It arched its back once again, looking caution at the young girl, growling softly at her. Not being affected at the sound, she placed her hand on his nose. That same moment, a flash of blue traveled from the little girl's hand to the body of the cy-bug hybrid. It looked startled and closed its eyes, inaudibly hissing. Upon opening its eyes, it would seem that its facial expression had changed. He no longer looked feral and ferocious, although it still appeared to be in shock. It stared at the little girl in front of her and spoke in a very familiar voice.

"Vanellope?"

Vanellope looked at it with stunned eyes. Fresh tears coursed down her face and she pressed her nose against the cy-bug's.

"Da…d…daddy?" she cried out. "It that you?"

The cy-bug, now properly addressed as King Candy, smiled at his little girl and picked her up with his claws. They looked at each other for a brief moment, before the king nudged her softly with his nose, since she couldn't properly hug her. Vanellope hugged his nose and sobbed. "I missed you so much!" she bawled.

"I missed you too, cupcake. I missed you more than you could possibly imagine."

They pulled apart from their hug and Vanellope looked at his newfound appearance. "What happened to you daddy?" she asked, shocked. The king softly stroked her face with her claws, being careful not to harm her, and sighed. "It's a horrible story, sweetheart. After Turbo took you away, I grew into a state of depression. I wouldn't eat or sleep. But it seems Turbo was having too much fun, and casted a spell on my as well, transforming me in this form. I remained in the castle ever since, waiting for your arrival."

Vanellope gasped at him and hugged her father. "I'm sorry, daddy! You don't deserve this!" she said, kissing his nose once more. She drew back and glared. 'That Turbo. I hate him. I'm going out there and give him a piece of my mind!"

"Vanellope, hold on to me. I need to see this for myself!" the king ordered.

She did was she was told and made her way to his back. His wings unfolded and started to beat rapidly, and the two of them flew through the door.

Rancis continued to fight off the cy-bugs, but it was a losing match. Even though Rancis was a good fighter, his keen fighting skills wasn't going to help him this time. A cy-bug came a swatted his sword out of his hand, leaving Rancis unarmed.

"Heh heh, princss , I'm going to kill you for leaving me with these guys," he vowed, a nervous smile on his face. "Witness the power of love, people."

"Leave him alone, you freaks!"

He looked upwards, along with the other cy-bugs and saw Vanellope riding on the back of the cy-bug hybrid he fought earlier. What was she doing with him. He watch him land in between him and the swarm of cy-bugs, helping Vanellope down from his back. Smiling at the girl, the hybrid turned around and fought off every cy-bug in sight.

"Why were you on its back?" Rancis asked, perplexed.

"Turns out, the cy-bug you fought in the ballroom was really my dad. Turbo casted a spell on him too, giving him the appearance of a cy-bug." She explained. Rancis nodded in understanding and smiled.

"Vanellope you and your friend get out of here! I'll hold these guys off!" the king ordered. "Hurry!"

Taking Vanellope's hand, Rancis made his way towards his kart, when suddenly Vanelloope was stricken with a red light. Rancis looked at her in fear, dropping her hand. He looked up and saw Turbo hovering over him, cackling wickedly.

"This game will be mine!" he shrieked.

Levitating Vanellope in the air, he began to merge his code with hers. The two cried out in pain as the two began to synchronize with each other, coming in as one. A bright light blinded Rancis. But when, the light died down, his eyes grew wide in shock.

Vanellope and Turbo were now combined.


	8. victory was theirs

_Ch.8_

Rancis stared at the now fused-together Turbo and Vanellope, fear and shock written all over. Vanellope's appearance completely changed; she practically looked like Turbo, but in a chibi version. She now had grey skin and yellow eyes with red irises. She wore a red-and-white hoodie with a "T" on it with mint green laces and stitches , red double layered peanut butter cup skirt, red, white, and mint green mismatched leggings, and red and white boots. Her hair had remained the same but her red twizzler hair tie had turned grey. She looked down at and smirked, laughing wickedly.

"Ha ha ha!" she laughed, her voice synchronized with Turbo's. "Now I am invincible. No one can stop me now!"

Turbo's wand created a red energy bean at the tip, and aimed it at Rancis, who dodged it just in time before it hit. Vanellope laughed wickedly, destroying everything in sight. Rancis hid behind his kart, panted heavily. He heard things blowing up, debris blowing in the wind. He looked up, watching the monarch continue to fight with the cy-bugs. Peeking over kart, he sadly watched Vanellope continue to demolish half of the entire game. He sighed, wondering how could someone so evil take control of such a sweet and adorable girl?

"Of all the bad timings, Turbo chose now of all days to take over the arcade," Rancis grumbled. "I never even got the chance to tell her how much she meant to me."

Upon saying this aloud, an idea began to form inside Rancis' head. "That's it!" he cried with enthusiam. At that moment, a blast of energy exploded near him. He looked up in the air and saw that Vanellope glared at him wickedly, blowing on her index finger.

"Peek a boo, I see you," she taunted.

Flying closer to Rancis, she shot a red energy beam at him, but missed when Rancis rolled out of the way. Rancis hopped in his kart and sped off, with Vanellpe in tow. She continued to blast energy beams at Rancis, to which he relentlessly misses the hits. She grew fustrated as she once again missed her target.

"Stay still, your ignorant pest," she growled. "Let me destroy you!"

She stopped and created a big energy beam, aiming carefully at one of Rancis' kart. She smiled and blasted it from her eyes, an evil smile growing. As planned, one of Rancis' kart wheels began busted, causing Rancis to lose control. He drove into the Candy Cane Forest, trying to regain the upperhand of the kart. Unfortunately, the kart rammed into a candy cane tree. Rancis slumped in the seat, moaning in pain.

"She's tougher than she looks," he commented, smirking. "Cute, yet tough."

Climbing out of his kart, he shook off the pain and checked his surroundings. Even the forest itself looked horrible. Trees looking perished, and some lollipop bushes seemed decomposed as well. Nothing was the same anymore. Scanning the landscape, he realized that Vanellope was no where to be spotted.

'_Wait,'_ he thought in suspicion. _'Where'd Vanellope go?'_

To answer his question, he was suddenly shot to the ground, a surge of swelling pain stunning him. He slowly got up and saw that Vanellope was standing behind her, a smirk on her find.

"You should never let your guard down," she teased, snickering.

Preparing to fire again, Rancis snatched the shield from his kart and got himself ready. He held it up to protect him just as she launched. It bounced off of the shield and blasted against her stomach, causing her to soar in the air. She spun in the air, losing balance momentarily. She growled and raised her hand upward, a dark red aura forming around her. Rancis suddenly began to levitate in the air, making his way to Vanellope unwillingly. He stopped and froze, staring at Vanellope.

"You're despicable, Turbo. Manipulating a young girl's own abilities for your evil actions. You should be ashamed of yourself," Rancis snapped.

Vanellope just smiled in a very evil manner.

"Why, thank you," she said, bowing mockingly. "I try."

Rancis shook his head and frowned. This was getting out of hand. He needed to figure out how to split Turbo and Vanellope up, or else they'll become one forever. Staring at the girl, he began to notice that she was glitching ever so slightly. Rancis grew shocked when he heard, even for the shortest period of time, Vanellope's normal voice.

"R-r-rancis," she cried out. "H-h-help me!"

Rancis watched as Vanellope's glitching began to intensify, but calmed down. An idea once again popped into Rancis' head. Staring at the enchanted girl, he cried out to her, "Princess, if you can hear me, I want you to resist Turbo's power and strength. This isn't you!" Vanellope's evil side came back in, and she glared at Rancis.

"Shut up," she growled.

"This isn't your true nature, princess. Your true side is when you're sweet, kind, adventurous, and a bit shy. You have a sassy attitude, but that's what I like about you! You make it cute; that's just one of the many things I like about you!" he continued, ignoring the remark. He watched she started to glitch once more, but it was not as badly as before.

"You're a strong, sweet, smart, and so much more. I realized this when I first laid my eyes on you. I instantly fell in love with you, and my love grew more and more, until I was practically head over heels for you. I may not be a prince, but I can't help being attracted to you!" he continued, ignoring the remark.

That's all it took for Vanellope. She began to glitch excessively, giant red and white pixel began to form. It materialized around her, blocking Rancis' sight of her. The aura died down around Rancis, the bright light engulfing the princess. Rancis descended, his feet coming in contact with the ground, and stared at her, growing worried. She screamed in pain once more as she and Turbo reverted back to their individual form. The light exploded around them, and Vanellope and Turbo plummeted to the ground.

"Princess Vanellope!" Rancis called out to her, running towards her before it was too late. Fortunately, Rancis caught Vanellope in his arms, and Turbo landed smack on the ground.

Hard.

"Princess?" Rancis asked softly nudging her with his nose. She moaned slowly opened her eyes. She glitched shorty, changing her appearance back to normal, just the way Rancis like it, and smiled at the young boy. "Rancis," she groaned, wrapping her arms around his neck. "what happened?" Rancis smiled, and looked at Turbo with disgust. "It's over, Turbo. Give it up. You're outnumbered." Rancis snapped, putting Vanellope down. Turbo piked up his bruised head and glared.

"Not a chance, pretty boy," Turbo hissed.

Picking up his wand, he waved it around him and began transforming into a cy-bug himself. He laughed wickedly and looked over his new body, glaring at the frightened children. "Now, if you'll excuse me, kiddies, I have an arcade to rule!" he said, unfurling his wings, flying off. Rancis looked at Vanellope with a worried look.

"The entire arcade is in jeopardy! What do we do?" he asked.

She smiled and winked at him. "We follow him, of course." She simply said. Putting two fingers in her mouth, she let out a sharp whistle that rang throughout the entire forest. Rancis just looked at her as if she was crazy, but looked up to see the king himself hovering over them. Making a descent, he carefully scooped up the kids and put them on his back, flying off.

"Hold on tightly!" he said.

Rancis automactically wrapped his arms around Vanellope, to which she just smiled at this gesture, and leaned against him for support. "The two of you, make up a plan. I can't stand to watch this tyrant take over my game." He ordered, flying over the raceway. Rancis looked down and surveyed the damage.

"Wait… are those… cherry bombs?" he asked aloud, squinting his eyes for clarification.

Vanellope followed his gaze and nodded. "Yeah, why?" Once again, an idea formed in Rancis' head as he looked ahead. There, standing over the entire game, was Diet Cola Mountain. He remembered reading about the volcano itself, saying how the mentos stalactites and the reaction they give off if they come in contact with the hot soda lava.

"King Candy, we need to pick up every cherry bomb we can get our hands on!" he commanded.

King Candy nodded and carefully plummeted down to the raceway. Quickly, the trio picked up nearly all of the cherry bombs in a matter of seconds, trying to avoid any cy-bugs in the process as well. "Now, we head over to Diet Cola Mountain." Rancis said, hopping the the cy-bug hybrid ruler's back, with Vanellope in tow.

"So, what do we do with these, anyways?" Vanellope inquired.

"I'm using these to create an eruption, making all of the mentos fall into the lava and form a beacon." Rancis explained.

Vanellope looked at him with complete and utter shock, horrified at the ieaa. "Please don't tell me you're doing this alone!" she begged. Rancis smiled sadly and nodded.

"I have to, princess. It's the only way. If I don't do this, Turbo will dominate." He protested. Vanellope shook her head, tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

"Please don't do this, Rancis. I'll never forgive myself if you ever get hurt."

Rancis smiled and put his hand on her cheek, caressing it softly. Vanellop put her hand on top of his and stared into his blue eyes. "I have to. My job is to protect you, your highness. I started this mission, and I'm gonna end it," he declared. He leaned in and kissed her cheek, something he's been longing to do, and whispered softly in her ear, "You were and always will be my dream."

"And you were mine," she answered, pecking his cheek softly. "Be careful!"

Rancis smiled and collected all of the cherry bombs. 'Take Vanellope to a safe place your highness!" he yelled, and jumped off of his back. "Rancis!" Vanellope cried, the wind blowing in her face. Rancis landed snack in the middle of the crater and got to work. Lighting up the bombs with the matches he brought with him to _Night Wolf_, he stepped back and watched as every cherry bomb exploded. Beneath his feet, he felt the crater dropping, steam arising from the cracks.

"It's working. The mentos is falling into the lava!" he exclaimed, feeling satisfied.

He held up one last cherry bomb and smiled. "The last one," he murmured, lighting up a match. But before he could even light up the stem, he was unexpectedly whacked by a sudden force, knocking him off his feet. He looked up and glared at the virus in front of him. "Turbo."

Turbo laughed like the maniac he was and returned the icy glower. "I won't let you do this, kid. You're ruining my plan!" he shouted, lunging for Rancis. Rancis dodged this and swiftly ducked away from Turbo's long legs, Turbo growled and snatched Rancis off his feet, flying off into the sky. Rancis stared at the ground below as Turbo laughed evilly.

"Oh look, it's your girlfriend and her daddy, getting ready to die!" he cackled, clutching rancis' head and forcing him to look. "Let's watch them die, shall we?"

Rancis' eyes grew big as he sw Vanellope cowering behind her father, frightened. The king snarled at the cy-bugs trying to scare them off, but it was no use. Rancis closd his eyes and drew out his sword. "Game over for the both of you!" Turbo hooted. Rancis glared at him and shook his head.

"No, just me!" he yelled, slashing Turbo's claws with his sword.

Turbo screeched in pain and dropped Rancis, holding on to his sore claws. Rancis put his sword back in its scabbard and quickly lit up the cherry bomb, smiling at it. "You were my only dream, princess," he said sadly, dropping the bomb. Vanellope watched as Rancis plummet to his death and screamed out his name.

"Rancis!"

She glitched past all the cy-bugs and headed towards Diet Cola Mountain. The bomb exploded and all of the mentos fell into the lava. Rancis closed his eyes and prepared for the impact, when he heard a kart's engine. The next thing he knows, he's looking into the eyes of Vanellope Von Schweetz herself.

"Princess!"

"As if I'm going to let a handsome boy like you die!" she giggled, giving him her all-too familiar smirk. She glitched towards the exit just as the volcano blew up. The impact with the mentos was so great, the mountain exploded and created a beacon, just as rancis intended. The cy-bugs grew attracted to the light, and made its way towards it, being disintegrating in the process. Turbo watched his minions heading towards the lava, trying to snap them out of their trance.

"No, you fools! Why are you going into the li-"

He was interrupted when he too grew attracted to light, and made his way towards it. "Go into the li-aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" he screamed in terror. It was the last time Turbo had ever made an appearance. Vanellope and Rancis dove rigt into the chocolate lake, and looked at the each other with such happiness in their eyes.

"You did it!" Yoou saved Sugar Rush!" Vanellope exclaimed, joy bursting out of her. She smiled and planted a kiss on Rancis' cheek, before splashing chocolate in his face. Blushing, Rancis scooped a handful of choolate and drizzled it over her head. Soon, the two were laughing and playing with each other, just like back then in _Night Wolf_.

They had won to battle.

Victory was theirs.


	9. everything is back to normal

_Ch.9_

Rancis and Vanellope held each other's hand, making their way down to the speedway. They had just defeated Turbo and all of his monstrous cy-bug companions. Now they strolled down the raceway, gazing at the ruined landscape. Rancis and Vanellope smiled at each other, their eyes twinkling.

"We did it," Rancis said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"No, Rancis. _You_ did it." She corrected, beaming at him. "You did all of this. You're one brave guy, to fight some bozo like that."

Rancis chuckled and wiped some chocolate from his face, shrugging. "It was nothing, really. I… just couldn't let Turbo hurt you." He said, blushing slightly. Vanellope smiled and looked away, her face just as red as Rancis. They stayed in silence for a while, until Vanellope turned her gaze back at him, a sly smile on her face.

"So, remember when Turbo took over me?" she asked.

Rancis nodded his head, looking confused.

"Did you really mean everything you said back then?"

Instantly, Rancis' blush grew darker as Vanellope mentioned it. Did she actually hear that? Rancis was embarrassed. She now knew that Rancis' had a small teensy weensy crush on her. She poked him in anticipation. "Rancis," she asked, staring at him curiously. "Is there something you're not telling me?" Rancis looked at her and smiled bashfully at her.

"You really want to know, huh?"

"Yes!"

Rancis heaved out a deep breath and smiled. "Okay, here goes nothing." He took both of her hands in his and stroked them gently, staring at them. "Since the very moment I laid eyes I you, I immediately fell head over heels for you. As the days went by, I just grew deeper in love with you. You were always in my mind, day and night. I just felt that we had a special touch, you know?"

Vanellope stayed quiet, staring at Rancis in shock, her face getting redder and redder by the moment. "You were the one I was going after all this time. I know you probably don't feel that way for me, but I'm just gonna come out and say it," Rancis locked eyes with the stunned girl and smiled sheepishly. "I love you, Princess Vanellope." He confessed, getting ready to the rejection. Vanellope just stared at him in total surprise, unable to say anything. Rancis bit his lip and smiled painfully, nodding his head in despair.

"You know what? Forget it. Just forget-"

"Wait, no!"

Rancis stopped and stared at the girl before him. Vanellope smiled timorously and fiddled with her fingers, giggling. "D-do you really mean it? Do you really love me?" she asked, her eyes fixed on her shoes. Rancis smiled and tilted her chin upwards, his lovestruck expression written all over his face. 'More than you know, your highness." He admitted. She slightly laughed and beamed at him, brushing a strand of hair off her face.

"Rancis, you're a sweet, caring, and friendly. You protected me many times, and you took care of me when I was hurt. You always made me laugh, and you accepted the fact that I was cursed, which is a big one. But you didn't care. You still stood by my side through thick and thin, and even rescued me from Turbo. I guess what I'm trying to say is," she timidly smiled at him bashfully, her face now crimson red. "I love you."

Rancis just stared at her, and smiled. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her closer and smirked at her. "So, now what?" Vanellope wondered, giggling at their embrace. Rancis playfully tapped chin chim, pretending to think.

"You're still cursed, right?" he asked.

She nodded, an eyebrow raised up.

"Perfect." Before Vanellope could protest, she felt Rancis' lips collide into hers. Her eyes shot open in shock, not knowing what to do. Ignoring that she was practically as red as a cherry, she closed her eyes and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. The two shared a passionate kiss, completely oblivious that the finish line had lit up and pink sparkles had surrounded Vanellope. Rancis pulled apart just as Vanellope was lifted in the air, watching as the curse was being lifted from her code.

"The curse! It's breaking!" Rancis exclaimed, a smile on his face.

Vanellope smiled at him as she transformed into a princess once more. Her pink princess attire dissolved on her body and descended to the ground. The minute her feet touched the ground, the entire _Sugar Rush _was covered in small blue pixels, repairing everything in its path. The citizens of _Sugar Rush_ ran towards the speedway, and gaped at her appearance in shock. "I don't believe this," Sour Bill gasped. Making his way to her side, he faced the crowd and monotonously announced, "All hail King Candy's long-lost daughter, Princess Vanellope."

"Oh my gosh, it's really her! It's the princess!" Taffyta squealed, trying to contain her excitement.

"Oh, that's right! Turbo locked her up in the Castle of Darkness fifteen years ago," Candlehead added, her hand to her lips.

Vanellope smiled happily at her lovely citizens and looked into the eyes of each one of them. "Citizens of _Sugar Rush, _I, Princess Vanellope Von Schweetz, am so happy to come back to the place where I was born. Seeing all of your lovely faces just warms my heart, and I couldn't ask for anything else but to see ea h and every one of you," she said, her eyes meeting with Rancis'. Rancis stepped out of the crowd and wrapped his arms around her waist again, despite the murmurs of the other racers. She cocked and eyebrow as she placed her hands on his shoulders, gazing at him warily.

"Did you know this would happen?" she asked.

"I do my research, your schweetzness," he teased, kissing her forehead.

She gently shoved him playfully and looked away, when she realized she didn't see her father. "But, isn't my father supposed to be here as well?" she inquired, searching the crowd. When she didn't see him, tears welled up in her eyes as she hid her face in her hands. "He must have died when he went into the beacon. Now I'll never see him again." She silently wept in her hands, not wanting to look up. Rancis frowned at this sad sight and pulled her in a hug.

"I'm sorry about this, princess. I should have been with your father," he said, guilty.

Vanellope looked up at him and smiled, kissing his cheek. "It's not your fault, Rancis, you had to stop Turbo from taking over. I was the one who abandoned my dad. It's my fault," she insisted. She stared at her hands and close her eyes. "But no matter what, he'll always be in my heart." Rancis smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder suppotingly. Everyone watched as the two embraced. Candlehead was the first to speak.

"Your majesty, if I may ask, did you say your dad died in the Diet Cola Mountain?" she asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"If he was in his own game, which he is, shouldn't he have regenerated by now?"

Vanellope and Rancis stared at Candlehead, bewildered. "So, since he's in his own game, he's going to regenerate?" Vanellope asked. Candlehead smiled and nodded. "That's right, princess." she answered, rocking back and forth on her feet. Vanellope down at the ground and began pacing, trying to understand more of this.

"But how come he hasn't regenerated then?"

In answer to her question, a bright, gleaming light burnished behind Vanellope. She turned around and covered her eyes from burning up from the light's radiance. The had down, everyone gazed in shock at the person in front of them. There standing in front of then was King Candy. He stared at Vanellope, and Vanellope stared back at him. The two spent the time staring at each other, not knowing what to say. Finally, Vanellope, who had broken down into tears, bolted into a run an jumped into her father's arm, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Daddy, i missed you so much!" Vanellope wailed, the tears streaming down her face.

"I missed you two, cupcake," he said, rubbing her back and completely ignoring the tears strolling down his own face. "It's okay now, because we're together now, and that's all that matters now." Vanellope smiled through her tears and rested her head on his shoulder. "I love you, daddy. I love you so much," she whispered. The king smiled and pulled his daughter closer to him.

"I love you too, cupcake."

Rancis watched the sweet sentimental moment the princess and her father shared together, and felt satisfied that his mission was now complete. He turned around and saw the donuts cops, Wynnchel and Duncan, nodding at him appreciatively.

"Not bad for kid," Wynnchel commented, smiling at Rancis.

"You did good, kid. Nice work," Duncan added.

Rancis beamed at the comment and smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around, only to find a stern king staring at him. Rancis grew nervous and wiped his hand on his pants.

"Rancis Fluggerbutter, were you the one who brought Vanellope back home?" King Candy asked.

Rancis bit his lips and nodded his head. King Candy smiled and held out his hand. "In that case, thank you. Thank you for returning my daughter home to me." he acknowledged. Rancis smiled and shook the king's hand, nodding repectfully. "I'm glad I could help. I know how much she means to," he replied understandingly. King Candy smiled and looked at his daughter. "Vanellope, darling, do have anything to say to Rancis?" Vanellope smiled at Rancis, who returned her grin.

"Thank you, Rancis. None of this would have happened if you haven't come along," she said, trying hard not to blush. "If there was some random guy coming to rescue me from Turbo... I'm glad that guy was you."

Rancis beamed at the princess and flashed out his cute freckles. "I'm glad I got to meet you as well, princess. I wouldn't do it for any other girl." Vanellope smiled and winked at him. "Come now, cupcake. Time to go home." The king declared, walking off with Sour Bill, Wynnchel and Duncan in tow. Vanellope looked over her father's shoulder and smiled at Rancis, waving him goodbye. Rancis smiled and waved back. Rancis heard giggling behind him and turned around to see none other than Taffyta and the others laughing.

"Aw, Rancis. You were supposed to kiss your girlfriend goodbye," Taffyta teased.

"So mean, Rancis," Candlehead added, snickering.

Rancis rolled his eyes in annoyance and walked off and headed towards his kart, an idiotic smile on his face. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get rid of the taste of vanilla off his lips.

* * *

"Ah, home sweet home!" Rancis cried out happily, plopping down on his couch, relaxing. He forgot how nice and fluffy his couch was. To him, it was like lounging on a cloud from heaven. He grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, munching down on some reese's peanut butter cups, when he heard the doorbell ring. Reluctantly, he got up from his couch and headed for the door. He unlocked the door and opened it, finding Vanellope and Sour Bill outside in the porch

"Hey," she greeted, putting on a shy smile.

"Hey," Rancis reiterated, stepping aside so they could enter his humble abode. She walked in and took in the nicely scented house. "So what brings you here?" Rancis asked, shutting the door. Vanellope smiled and pulled out a letter.

"My dad wants to invite all the racers, and the citizens, down to the raceway tomorrow for a Random Roster Race, to celebrate my return home," she explained.

Rancis read over the letter and smiled at her. "Ok, I'll be there. It's been a while since I last raced for a Sugar Rush cup," he said.

"Good, so I'll see you tomorrow then." She smiled and headed for the door, but Rancis grabbed her hand. "Actually, can you stay for minute?" he asked nervously. "I really need to ask you something." Vanellope blinked at this sudden action, and turned to her sour companion. "Sour Bill, wait for me outside. I'll be with you in a moment." She instructed.

"Okay," he answered, going outside alone.

The two just looked at each other, not knowing what to say. Finally, Rancis snatched a reese's cup and handed it to her. "Want one?" he offered, trying to keep his cool. She smiled and took it out of his hands. "Listen, I really need to know: do you really like me? As in, _like_ like me?" he asked. Vanellope turned red and looked at him. Wasn't that the reason she kissed him back earlier?

"No, I just kiss some guy randomly just for the fun of it," she replied sarcastically, her hands on her hips. "'Course I like you, pretty boy. That's why I kissed you back, doi."

Rancis looked at her and smirked, his arms crossed. "So if I were to ask you to be my girlfriend, you'd say yes?" he asked. Vanellope looked up and stared at him in shock, her face growing deep red. He cocked an eyebrow and his smirked grew wider, awaiting her response.

"Am i going to get an answer?" he asked.

Vanellope shook her head and smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Since when were you such a romeo?" she teased. Rancis shrugged and stared into her eyes. "The minute i first laid eyes on you," he answered. Vanellope smiled and caressing his cheek.

"Yes."

"Yes, what?"

Vanellope rolled her eyes and pecked his cheek. "Yes, I'd love to be your girlfriend, doi. Geez, you're more dense than-" she was interrupted when she once again when she felt Rancis' lips on top of her. She closed her eyes and slowly responded to the kiss, running her fingers through his hair. Rancis wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, deepening the smooch. Their lungs were screaming for air, so they pulled apart and panted, staring at each other.

"Wow," Vanellope gasped, smiling. "That was just, wow!"

"Yeah, I know," he conceded, runnning his hand through his hair, nervously laughing. They stood there silently, not looking at each other. "I, uh, better get going. My dad's gonna flip I don't get home soon," Vanellope mumbled. Rancis nodded and followed her to the door. "R-right, well, maybe sometime we can go on a date or something. I-I mean, your choice really," he stammered. She looked at him and smiled sweetly, shooting him a wink.

"Maybe I will. Good night, buttercup. I love you," she said, kissing her her boyfriend goodnight. "And call me 'Vanellope'."

Rancis looked at her for a while as she walked out the door with Sour Bill. "Good night, Nellie. I love you, too." he called after her. She smiled and blew him a kiss, then disappeared in the dark night. Rancis closed the door and began to space out, a dreamy look on his face.

"And Swizzle said I had no chance with the princess," he said, making his way back to the TV.


	10. Random Roster Race

_Ch.10_

The day had passed by in _Sugar Rush _and another day had come to the citizens. Sunlight beamed through Vanellope's window up the castle, shining in her eyes. She tiredly turned around on her side, falling back asleep. She didn't even hear the door creak open and her father creeping in. King Candy tiptoed over to Vanellope's bed, looking at her peaceful expression. The monarch smiled and kissed her forehead, brushing her bangs back. The little girl moaned and slowly opened her eyes, looking up at her father.

"Daddy?" she said unenthusiastically, letting out a big yawn.

"Good morning, my little princess," The king greeted, picking her up. "How'd you sleep?" Vanellope smiled and kissed his cheek, rubbing her eyes. "I slept pretty well. How about you, dad? Did you sleep well?" she asked, hugging her father's neck. King Candy smiled and walked out of her room, strolling down to the dining room.

"Knowing my little girl is home, why wouldn't I sleep well?" he questioned, nudging her with his nose. She smiled and giggled, pushing her nose away playfully.

They walked in and inhaled the sweet scent of their breakfast. Vanellope caught the scent of her favorite breakfast: pancakes with chocolate drizzled over it, scrambled eggs and bacon, two omelets, and a vanilla breakfast smoothie topped with whipped cream and a variety of candy all over it. Vanellope's mouth began to water as she eyeballed her breakfast hungrily. "Yummy," she growled, licking her lips. King Candy smiled and Vanellope down in her chair, watching her devour her breakfast, laughing.

"Vanellope, slow down. You'll get a stomachache, cupcake," he warned.

Vanellope ignored him and guzzled down her smoothie, then clutched her stomach, looking satisfied. "That… was delicious," she commented, a small burp escaping her mouth. "Excuse me." King Candy smiled and put down his coffee, grabbing a napkin and began cleaning up Vanellope's mouth. She wiggled her nose and fussed about being cleaned. She wiggled her nose again and sniffled, smiling at her father.

"Can we go now, daddy?" she asked impatiently, jumping up and down on her seat. "I really wanna race!"

The king smiled and sipped on his coffee. "Alright, young lady. Go take a bath and put on your dress. But wait in your room. I have a surprise for you."

Vanellope looked at him with interest, her eyes sparkling brightly. "A surprise? What'd you get me, what's you get me?!" she asked over excitedly, jumping off her chair and began rambling, trying to guess what he father got her. "Is it a kart? You got me a kart?! It's a kart, isn't?" The king smiled and swatted her out the room, chuckling at his little hyperactive angel.

"I can't tell you, cupcake; otherwise, it'll ruin everything."

Vanellope grumbled and pouted, crossing her arms. "Tell me now, daddy! I want to know now! That's an order!" she grumbled The king looked at her questioningly and raised an eyebrow. "Are you ordering me around, little girl?" he asked, looking at her sternly. Vanellope looked at her father worriedly and laughed "What? Me, ordering you around? Ha, that's funny… really."

"Vanellope, do you know what happens to people who order me around?"

Vanellope whimpered, and shook her head. "No."

"I tickle them," King Candy shouted, picking vanellope up and began tickling her.

Vanellope busted out laughing, giggling and shrieking. She begging and implored her father, but he didn't stop. "Stop, stop, I'm sorry! Just stop!" Vanellope shrieked, tears crawling down her face. The king smirked and continued tickling her.

"Who's the boss?" he inquired.

"You are!"

King Candy, looking satisfied, stopped tickling Vanellope. She panted and panted, trying to regain her breath. "You sir," she gasped, clutching her chest. "Play a mean game of tickle fight, sir." King Candy smiled and readied his fingers. Vanellope shrieked and ran out of there, leaving the king smiling to himself.

"Kids," he chuckled, adjusting his bow tie.

"Sire," Sour Bill said. The king looked down at his advisor that had just walked in. "Is everything ready?" he asked, taking another sip of his coffee. "Yes, everything is accounted for the end of the race," Sour Bill reported. King Candy smiled and walked out, Sour Bill in tow.

"Vanellope will love the surprise I got her," he said, entering his bedroom, picking up a pink box with a matching bow sitting on his dresser. "She's been waiting for this day since the day she was programmed." He smiled at his sour advisor and headed out the door, walking up the staircase to Vanellope's room. He stopped at her door and lightly tapped on his. "Sweetheart, are you done?" he asked. Vanellope opened the door, wearing her mint green bathrobe and smiled at her dad. "Not quite, dad." she answered drying her hair off with her towel.

"Vanellope, darling, I have something for you, cupcake," the king started, presenting her with the present. "I hope you like it, darling."

Vanellope took the box and began ripping it open, pieces of wrapping paper flew everywhere. She threw open the flap and smiled the biggest smile the king has ever see. Pulling out the item that she was in the box, she stood up and held a teal, orange, and white tracksuit with brown gloves, a white helmet with a crown stenciled on it, and white goggles. .

"Dad, you got this for me?" she asked him, trying to contain her excitement.

"Go try it on, cupcake," he urged, swatting her back into the backroom. She smiled and rushed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. King Candy smiled at Sour Bill and sat down on a chair, waiting for Vanellope. "I hope she likes it, Sour Bill. I saved that for her since the day she was programmed," King Candy said, wringing his hands together.

"No need to worry, sire. Knowing the princess, she'll adore it," Sour Bill guaranteed.

At that moment, Vanellope came out wearing her new tracksuit. She walked towards the mirror and stared at her reflection in disbelief. King Candy put his hands on her shoulders and smiled. "Do like it, sweetheart?" he asked her, biting down on his lips. Vanellope zipped up the tracksuit and smiled an even bigger smile. "Dad, it…. It's beautiful, thank you!" she squealed with delight, tackling her father father with delight.

"I'm glad you think that way, because you'll be competing today," he announced.

She looked at him with surprise and beamed. "Really?! I'm gonna race with the others?! Oh, this is so exciting!" she yelled enthusiastically, pumping her fists in the air. "I'm gonna be a racer, alright!"

King Candy smiled and helped her in her dress, making sure she was dressed in an approachable manner. He smiled and took her hand, her helmet and goggles in hand. "Come on, Vanellope. That kart isn't going to drive itself."

* * *

The rest of the racers were driving up to starting line, smiling and waving to their fans as they made their way to King Candy's stand. The marshmallow crew were dusting and cleaning the starting line, preparing the race.

"Ladies and gentleman, all hail the rightful rulers of _Sugar Rush_, King Candy and Princess Vanellope!" Sour Bill announced, stepping aside just as King Candy and Vanellope emerged from the curtains, waving to the cheerful citizens. "Ha ha! And hello, everyone!" King Candy exclaimed, throwing candy to the crowd. "Have some candy!" The crowd cheered and snacked on the candy the gracious king offered to them. "Now I understand that it's been far too long since we last race, but now that my beloved daughter has returned safe and sound, we will celebrate with a Random Roster Race!" he declared, smiling as the racers cheered and high-fived each other.

"Do we all have our gold coin?" he asked.

The racers held up their gold coin, not even trying to contain their excitement. King Candy held up a gold coin and handed it to Vanellope. "Her you go, cupcake," he whispered. She took it from his grasp and beamed at him. She smiled, taking a deep breath and tossed her coin in the giant cup.

"Vanelllope Von Schweetz!" the announcer called out over the loudspeaker.

She slowly turned to her father and jumped in delight. "Sweet mother of monkey milk, I'm in the race!" she squealed, glitching out of her dress, putting on her helmet and goggles. Soon all of the other racers ad paid for their participation on the race and headed to their kart. Vanellope caught Rancis' eye and smirked at him, blowing him a kiss. He smiled at her and winked, causing her to giggle. King Candy saw this smiled.

"What was that all about, cupcake?" he asked, trying to keep casual.

Vanellope smiled and looked away, blushing. "It's, uh, nothing, dad. Just a friendly gesture, that's all." She mumbled, nervously laughing. "Come on, let's get this race going. I'm not getting any younger over here." King Candy smiled and grabbed mircrophone, chuckling in it.

"It it with great pleasure to say these words after fifteen years: Let the Random Roster Race begin!" he shouted, shooting a wink at Vanellope. "Knock 'em dead, cupcake. I believe in you!"

Vanellope's eyes glistened through her goggles as she kissed her father's cheek, then jumped down from the stand. Giving her dad a thunbs up, she jumped into his kart and turned on the engine.

_3…_

_2…_

_1…_

_Go!_

They racers stomped on their gas pedals and sped off, making their way to Gumball Gorge. Vanellope felt the sweet wind rushing in her hair, making her smile happily. After fifteen years of being locked up, she can finally achieve what she longed to do for so long now without any interference.

"Why don't we all have some candy, hm?" she snickered, a mischievous smile grin on her face. She came to Gumball Gorge and caught a Sweet Seekers, carefully aiming it. She blasted it at Snowanna, Gloyd and Adorabeezle, who shrieked, and zipped past them.

"Piece of cake!" she giggled, zooming off.

* * *

Vanellope was nearly towards the finish line, a victorious smile on her face. She saw the finish line before her, awaiting her arrival. A smile came onto her face. What can go wrong?

"See you at the finish line, princess!" a voice yelled over the engine, bring Vanellope down to Earth.

She looked at the racer next to her and saw none other than Rancis. He smirked at her and inched forward a bit, raising his eyebrows. "Hope you enjoy sugar dust!" he added. Vanellope giggled and stepped on her gas pedal. The two inched forward everytime, laughing and teasing each other. Vanellope looked up and saw that the finish line wasn't far from where she was. An idea came to mind and she slowly simpered.

"Oh, buttercup!" she singsonged.

Rancis looked at Vanellope, and instantly turned red when he saw her blow him a kiss. She shot him a flirtatious wink and giggled in a cute manner, making Rancis' legs feel like jell-o. "I'll see you at the finish line, butterfingers!" she playfully taunted, stomping on the gas. Rancis snapped out of his daydream and saw Vanellope zipping in front of him.

"Hey, no fair!" he shouted, trying to catch up.

It was no use.

Vanellope already crossed the finish line.

Vanellope waved to the crowd, blowing kisses to her fans. King Candy ran down towards and picked her up, spinning her in the air, kissing her on her cheek. "I am so proud of you, sweetheart!" he said, looking her in the eye. "You make me so proud!" She smiled and hugged her father. King Candy beamed and help up, watching the crowd jump in their wholeheartedly. She pumped up her trophy in the air, driving the crowd insane. King Candy put her down and watched as she made her way to other racers, who clapped along with the other racers. Vanellope walked towards Taffyta and put out her hand.

"Hey, good race out there, Taffyta." She said.

Taffyta smiled and shook her hand, trying hard not to jump and squeal. "Thank you, princess. You were amazing, too." She replied.

Vanellope smiled and gave her a thumbs up. "Maybe sometimes, we can hang out or something." She suggested. Taffyta smiled and returned her thumbs up. "Sure, I'd like that, Vanellope. Is it okay if I call you by your first name?" she asked, looking nervous. Vanellope smiled and shook her head. She went around and shook the hands of every racer, praising them for their hard work and challenging them to a race for some other time. Some took up their offer, and some had even hugged her. Vanellope looked around around for a certain peanut butter and chocolate themed boy, but didn't see him in the crowd. She was about to walk away when she felt a pair of lips on her cheek.

"Congrats, princess," a voice whispered in her ear.

Vanellope turned around and smiled, her cheeks faintly red. "R-rancis! G-good r-race, huh?" she stammered, holding out her hand. Rancis smiled and shook her hand, nodding. "You know, I believe I as about to win if you didn't get me sidetracked," he playfully scolded. Vanellope removed her helmet and goggles and smirked at him.

'It's all part of life, butterfingers," she replied. "Live with it."

Rancis rolled his eyes and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him. Vanellope giggled at this and draped her arms around his neck, biting her lips. They smiled at each other and sheared a small kiss. Innocent, but still, a kiss. They pulled apart and smiled bashfully at each other. King Candy walked up to them, his arms crossed.

"Vanellope," he said, his eyes eying them warily.

Rancis gulped and let go of Vanellope's waist, scared about what King Candy would've done. Vanellope saw how frightened he is and took action. 'The thing is, dad, Rancis and I are… dating," she confessed, preparing for a harsh scolding from him. But all he did was laugh and smile. "Is that it, cupcake? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" he asked, chuckling.

"Wait, you not mad I'm in a relationship with your daughter?" Rancis questioned.

"As long as you keep Vanellope happy, I don't see why you can't. However," King Candy's sunny deposition quickly faded, and his eyes darkened. "If you hurt my little cupcake, I sill send the devil dogs after you and watch them tear you apart limb to limb. Am I clear?" he lowly growled. Rancis whimpered and nodded his head. Kimg Candy smiled and patted the scared boy's head.

"Good. Come, Vanellope. I have a surprise for you," King Candy said, taking Vanellope's hand.

Vanellope took Rancis' hand and kissed his cheek. "He's only joking, Rancis. Don't be such a scardy-cat," she teased. Rancis snapped out of his trance and looked at her in bewilderment.

"Is he always like this?"

"I'm his only daughter, what'd you expect?"

"Point taken, but still." Vanellope rolled her eyes and smiled at her dad. "What's you get me, daddy? Tell me already!" she whined. King Candy smiled and spoke into the walkie talkie. "Alright, you can bring it in now, boys," he ordered. In the distance, Wynnchel and Duncan wheeled in an object blanketed with a white sheet. Vanellope squealed in delight as she made her way. Wynnchel and Duncan leaned in to the princess and whispered, "Your majesty, you should know something. The bakery, it had a malfunction, and-"

"Shh! I want to see my present," she shushed, her finger to her lips. Taking the sheet in the air, she threw it behind and gaped at the object in front of her. There, in front of her, was a kart. Or at least it looked at a kart, It was made with frosting, sprinkles, and other sweets with no overriding theme, unlike the other karts. King Candy stared at the kart in shock, then turned his gaze to the donut officers.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Well, we tried to tell the princess that there was a tiny malfunction in the bakery, and, well, it just broke down," Duncan explained.

The king sighed and looked at his daughter, devastated that he had let her down. "Cupcake, I'm so sorry. I-"

"I love it."

King Candy looked at her in confusion. "You do?" he asked. Vanellope smiled and skipped around the kart. "I love it , I love it, I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT!" she screamed. "Look, it has a real engine, and just look at these wheels!" she gave the kart's wheel and kiss and smiled at her father. "It's better than what I ever dreamed of! And the fact that you went and did all this just to welcome me back is the thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me! Thank you, daddy! I love you!" She ran towards her father and gave him a hug. King Candy smiled and hugged his daughter back, kissing her forehead.

"You're welcome, my little angel."

King Candy picked up Vanellope and set her down into her new kart, giving her back her helmet and goggles, then jumping into his own kart. "Come, Vanellope! I'll race you back home!" he challenged. Vanellope giggled and put back on her helmet and goggled, smirking at her father. 'You're on!" she replied, waving goodbye at the other racers then zipping off, winking at Rancis. Rancis smiled at the girl, a small red tint on his cheeks. Swizzle draped his arms around Rancis' shoulder and smirked.

"So… you're dating the princess, huh?"

Rancis shrugged his off and jumped into his own kart. "Shut up, Swizzle. I don't see you kissing Sticky any time sooner," Rancis snapped, driving off. Swizzle just stared after him and smiled. 'I have my ways with the ladies, fluggerbutter," he mumbled, making his way towards the salt water taffy themed girl. "Hey, sticky. Can I talk with you for a sec?"


	11. the end

_Ch.11_

It was about a week since the return of the beloved princess, and many things have been going on in her life. Vanellope had formed a bond with the racers, and now they all hang out as friends. She had even convinced then to just call her Vanellope and to just see her as another racer, despite the fact that she's a princess and the daughter of the king of _Sugar Rush. _King Candy had been in such a good mood since Vanellope had returned home. In fact, he was so happy; he even threw a ball in honor of her return. But what happened to the two happy couple, Vanellope and Rancis, you ask? Well, after the ball had ended, the two shared a romantic slow dance with each other. And once that was finished, Rancis had asked out Vanellope on a date. Of course, Vanellope had agreed. This brings us to that particular day.

Vanellope was in her bed, sound asleep. She and Rancis had stayed up, talking and laughing until it was two in the morning. Vanellope had never felt this way around any boy before. So why was everything so different when she was around Rancis? Vanellope smiled in her sleep, snuggling in with her pillow.

"Rancis, you smell like chocolate," she giggled.

She rolled around for a while, until she fell off her bed, landing in a thud. Now completely awake, Vanellope rubbed her head and got up. "Well, that's a nice way to wake up," she snapped to herself, getting herself up. Brushing herself off, she walked out the door and headed downstairs for breakfast. She caught the faint scent of scrambled eggs and bacon, and followed the aromatic trail. Pushing open the doors of the dining room, she smiled at her father and slipped in her seat. "Morning, daddy," she said, putting her head on the table. King Candy smiled and took a bite from his pancake.

"Good moring, cupcakes. You look bit exhausted," he pointed out.

Vanellope shook his head and rubbed her eyes. "I sort of had trouble going to bed last night," she admitted. King Candy smiled and gently nudged her food towards her. "And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why parents advise bedtimes," he teased, looking pointedly at her. Vanellope playfully shoved her dad and began eating her food.

"It's not my fault I was trying to catch up with the news here," she protested.

King Candy smiled and looked at her warily. "Is that all you were doing? With a certain blond, blue eyed, freckled face-"

"I get it, dad! So I stayed up late to talk to Rancis! He's the first guy I ever had a crush on! Cut me some slack, okay?" she protested, biting down on her bacon. King Candy chuckled and continued eating down on his food. Vanellope sipped on her orange juice as smiled at her dad.

"Thank you for the ball last night, dad. It was really sweet of you," she said, beaming at him.

"You deserved it. I had to properly welcome my daughter back to civilization," he replied, smiling. "Remember when we danced together last night?"

Vanellope smiled looked down at her plate, trying to fight back tears. Of course she remembered it. After all, this was the first time she danced with her father in fifteen years. Would you do the same if you just reunited with her only parent after fifteen years? She closed her eyes as a flashback of that touching moment they shared last night.

*flashback*

_The ballroom was packed with all the racers, dressed in their best formal attire, and all of the citizens as well, chattering and laughing with each other. Sour Bill adjusted with his black bow tie and tapped into the microphone, catching everyone's attention._

"_All hail the ruler of Sugar Rush, King Candy, and alongside with him is his returning daughter, Princess Vanellope," Sour Bill._

_King Candy and Vanellope entered in the ballroom, bowing and curtsying to their subject. Vanellope took the hook of his arm and walked in, waving to everyone she passed by. King Candy smiled and dropped Vanellope's hand, gesturing towards Sour Bill. "I must do a quick errand," he informed. "Stay here, sweetie. Alright?" Vanellope smiled and nodded. "Sure, dad." she replied. King Candy smiled and walked off, making his way to his diminutive advisor, leaving Vanellope alone. She bit her lips and scanned the crowd, not knowing what to do exactly, when Taffyta, Cabdlehead and Jubileena came up to her._

"_Good evening, prince- I mean, Vanellope," Taffyta greeted her, stopping herself before she said "princess."_

"_Hey, you guys. What's up?" Vanellope asked, grabbed a chocolate cookie. "We just wanted to once again welcome you back home. It have been tough for you over the past fifteen years," Jubileena pointed out, putting her hand on her shoulder sympathetically. Vanellope smiled and nodded. _

"_It was tough, but… I made do. I mean, if it wasn't for Rancis, I don't know what I would've done," she admitted. _

_The crowd heard a soft pounding and turned to Sour Bill. "Can I have Princess Vanellope down on the dance floor to share the first dance with the king?" he asked. King Candy approached Vanellope and held out his hand. "What do you say, Vanellope? For old time's sake?" he asked. The crowd began to chant, "dance, dance" louder and louder. Vanellope giggled and took her dad's hand. King Candy led her down to the dance floor and placed his hands on her waist, slowly swaying to the music._

"_You look beautiful, Vanellope," he commented, smiling at her._

"_Thanks, dad." she replied, clutching on his hand and placing her other one on his shoulder. "I'm glad that everyone's back to normal. It wouldn't be the same without you." _

"_It wouldn't be the same without you, either, cupcake. It was very brave of Rancis to rescue you," he responded, gesturing to Rancis with his head. Vanellope looked at Rancis and smiled. He caught her eye and waved. "Yeah… I guess I am pretty lucky." She answered. Vanellope looked at him worriedly and asked, "Do you think Turbo will come back for revenge after?" King Candy looked at her questioningly before smiling._

"_I wouldn't worry about that fiend for a while, darling. All that matters is that you're home, and that's all I could ever ask for," he said._

_Vanellope's eyes lit up when she heard this. "Really, dad?" she asked. King Candy nodded and cupped her face, wiping off the tears. "You're the most important thing to me in this entire arcade. And I'm proud to call you my daughter." Vanellope smiled, tears crawling down her face. _

"_Thanks, daddy. That means a lot to me. I love you," she said, sobbing a little._

_King Candy saw this and pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back. "I love you, cupcake." Vanellope closed her eyes and placed her head on his shoulder, smiling. "I love you too, daddy."_

_*_End flashback*

"It was really… something, dad." she said, wiping off the tears away before her father had seen it. Luckily, he didn't. His attention was captured by the small green gumdrop that had just walked in with a box in his hands. "Delivery for the princess," he said. Vanellope took the box and looked at to see who sent it, and giggled.

Rancis.

"Who's it from, Vanellope?" King Candy inquired, trying to act innocent.

Vanellope looked at him, pretending to be annoyed by his pestering, and walked out. "Funny. I'm going to my room!" she shouted over her shoulder. She dashed up the stairs and entered her room, locking the doors. She sat on her bed and began opening her package, curiosity getting the best of her. Flipping open the lid, she saw that it was heart shaped reese's peanut butter cups. She smiled and took a bite out of one, savoring the delicious taste of peanut butter and chocolate mixed together, and picked up a note.

"'Can't wait for tonight. See you then- Rancis.'" she read aloud.

Vanellope dropped the note on her lap and ate the last bit of her reese's cup, a smirk slowly spreading her face.

'You want to go on a date with a princess, pretty boy?" she asked herself, crawling out of bed and making her way to the closet. "Well you're gonna get it."

* * *

Rancis smiled as he paced outside the castle, thinking how he's gonna talk to Vanellope when he saw her. He promised her last night that'd he come pick her up at eight, but he was so excited that he came forty-five minutes early. He ran his hand through his perfectly combed hair and huffed.

"Okay, I can do this. I got myself this date, and I'm not going to waste this opportunity," he mumbled to himself, adjusting his jacket. Picking up the lollipop knocker, he rapped it against the door and waited patiently. It wasn't long until Sour Bill came to the door, looking at the boy with no interest.

"Yes?" he asked in his usual monotone voice.

"Uh, I'm here to pick up-"

"Right this way," Sour Bill interrupted. "Okay then," Rancis said under a low voice, following the little gumdrop. He led her down the hall where the king was waiting for him in the throne room. King Candy looked up from the book he was reading and smiled at the boy, gesturing him to enter. "Ah, Rancis, please come in. Vanellope should be down in a few minutes," he said. Rancis walked in the throne room and bowed towards the king.

"Thank you for giving me your consent that I could go out with your daughter, your majesty. It means a lot to me," Rancis started.

"Nonsense, child. If my daughter likes you, then you should be able to date her. However, there are some rules that go along to this date night," King Candy established, a stern look in glinted in his eyes. "Such as: you will return Vanellope home no later than nine-thirty; you will not try to do anything cute and funny with my daughter, and most importantly,; if you hurt her, physically, emotionally or any kind of way. I will either, send the devil dogs, call the entire guards, or I myself will hunt you down myself and see to that you will not even dare take a single glance at her. Do I make myself clear?"

"Loud and clear, sir!" Rancis answered, understanding the consequences.

"Dad, stop scaring away my date," a voice scolded at the king, sounding a bit agitated. The two (and Sour Bill) looked to see Vanellope coming down from the staircase near the foyer, a smile on her face. Rancis just eyed her, stunned, his jaw dropped. She wore a mint green dress that ended at her knees with a corset bodice with a brown sash tied at the waist, a pink shrug, and black ballet flats. Her hair was out of its ponytail and instead cascaded down her shoulders, hitting her waist. Vanellope tied a red twizzler to secure a half ponytail. Rancis thought she was absolutely beautiful. She walked down the last steps and smiled at Rancis.

"Hi, Rancis," she greeted, biting down on her lips.

"Wow, you look amazing," he said, snapping out of it. He presented her with a single chocolate rose, which she gladly accepted, and led her out. "Have fun, kids!" King Candy yelled after them. "Okay, dad! I'll see you later!" Vanellope called over her shoulder. They walked out of the castle and closed the doors behind them.

"I have to say, you're dad's pretty… strict," he said, walking towards his kart.

"Yeah, sorry about that. My dad's still a bit careful ever since I came home," she replied, sitting on his lap while he turned on the engine. "Hang on to me, for safety measure," Rancis instructed. Vanellope placed her head on his chest as he drove off, staying quiet while she listened to the fast beating of his heart.

* * *

They finally stopped at, "Bonbon Succulent", a very fancy and well-known restaurant. "After you, milady," he said, opening the door for her. She smiled and walked in, taking in the beautiful scenery. Candlehead and Taffyta came up and escorted them to their table. "Welcome, you two. Please follow us to your table," they chorused together. Rancis led Vanellope to the table that had a reserved seating. Being the gentleman he was, he pulled out a seat for her and gestured her to sit down.

"Why, thank you!" she cooed, sitting down.

Rancis smiled and took his seat as well, picking up the menu. "You're welcome, my lady," he purred softly. Vanellope smiled and brushed a strand of hair off her face. Candlehead appeared again and placed a plate of spaghetti and meatballs down in between of them. "Dinner is served!" she announced, walking off. Vanellope picked up her fork and began eating, slurping up the spaghetti. She looked up and saw Rancis staring at her and chuckled.

'If you're gonna keep staring at me, you might as well sit next to me," she said.

Rancis smiled and scooted his chair next to. Smiling at him, she picked her fork and popped the spaghetti in his mouth. He slurped the spaghetti and smirked, doing the same to her. They popped their forks and slurped up their spaghetti, not realizing that they were nibbling the same spaghetti strand and accidentally ate their way into a kiss. They looked into each other's eyes, not knowing what to say. Rancis pulled away and rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling nervously.

"S-sorry," he apologized, his face beet red.

He jabbed his fork into the last meatball and offered it to her. Vanellope took the fork and bit the meatball off, smiling at Rancis. "Thanks," she replied, wiping some tomato sauce off her mouth. They tared at each other, slowly leaning in, when Taffyta barged in.

"Dessert is ready!" she exclaimed.

She gave Vanellope a mint green and chocolate chip ice cream sundae topped with sprinkles, and Rancis a peanut butter and chocolate ice cream sundae, covered with reese's pieces all over. "This looks, delicious, Taffyta! Thanks!" Vanellope remarked, taking a bite out of her ice cream. Taffyta smiled and walked off, leaving the two alone once again.

"I forgot to thank you for your reese's cups," Vanellope piped up. "They were delicious."

"Not as delicious as these ice cream, right?" he inquired. Vanellope giggled and shook her head towards the ground. "No, this ice cream is by far the sweetest thing I've had all night!" She looked and smiled at Rancis, a tint of red reddening her cheeks. "Well, second sweetest, I should probably say." Rancis smiled and took her hand, giving it a tender kiss. He looked up and smiled, causing her to blush an even darker shade of red.

"Hold on, what's dinner," Rancis got up and grabbed a guitar from a corner and sat back down. "Without musical entertainment?"

Vanellope smiled and softly laughed as a cute slow song played, Rancis got up and held out his hand. She smiled and took his hand, letting him lead the way. He pulled her closer and snaked his arms around her waist. Vanellope wrapped her arms around his neck and placed her forehead against his, slowly swaying to the music. They stared into each other's eyes, not even caring that Taffyta and Candlehead were watching them.

All that matters is that the two of them were together.

"You okay?" Rancis whispered.

"Mmmhmm. Why?"

"You just seem quiet."

Vanellope smiled and kissed his cheek. "How'd I end up with such a guy like you?" she wondered. Rancis smirked and twirled her around, then dropping her into a dip. "I guess you're just really lucky." He replied. Vanellope giggled and pulled him into a kiss.

* * *

For the rest of the evening, the two had a blast. Rancis took her to a carnival and won her a giant stuffed teddy bear, and even took some pictures in the photo booth together. The end of the night was coming to an end. Vanellope and Rancis strolled through the Candy Cane Forest, hold each other's hand. They didn't say anything, but their presence is all they could ever want from each other.

"It's so beautiful tonight. I can't even describe it," Vanellope murmured, staring in the sky in awe.

Rancis smiled and kissed her cheek. "I only see one thing that's beautiful tonight, and I'm looking at her," he protested, smirking. Vanellope blushed at this, and smiled. She bit her lips, trying to hold back a smile. Rancis stopped a put a hand on her shoulder.

"Vanellope, wait."

Vanellope stopped in her tracks and looked at him, confused. "What is it? What's wrong?" she asked. Rancis smiled and pulled out a small pink box with a red bow on it. "I got his for you. I, um, well… j-just open it," he prompted. Vanellope took the box from his hands and slowly opened it, curiosity overcoming her. She undid the bow and took off the lid, her eyes widened in surprise as her hands flew to her mouth. Inside was a bracelet with reese's pieces resembling as beads and a mini reese's cup attached to it.

"I knew you'd like reese's peanut butter cup, so I sort of made this for you. I know-"

Rancis was interrupted when Vanellope grabbed his shirt collar and collided her lips with his. Rancis was stunned, but it wasn't until he responded and wrapped his arms around her. Vanellope's arms slithered around Rancis' neck and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss as Rancis ran his hand through her hair. The two stood there for what it seemed like eternity to them, until the pulled apart, silently gasping for air. Rancis smiled and took the bracelet and slipped it around her left wrist. Vanellope looked at it and smiled.

"Do you really like it?"

"Why do you think I made out with you, pretty boy? Of course I love it, buttercup!"

She jumped into his arms and hugged him, giggling. Rancis smiled and twirled her around, making her shriek. The two laughed and tackled each other, until they were able to settle down. "C'mon, Nellie. I have to take you home now. It's almost time, anyways." Rancis chuckled, picking her up in his arms. Vanellope wrapped her arms around his neck and took the scent of peanut butter and chocolate.

* * *

Rancis and Vanellope drove towards the castle and got out, making their way towards the king. King Candy smiled at them.

"Hi, dad," Vanellope greeted, waving at him

"I see you're early. It's only nine-twenty five," he pointed, looking at his watch.

"I just wanted to make sure she got home safely," he explained. He turned to Vanellope and handed her back her teddy bear. "Thanks for coming along, Nellie. I had fun."

"Thanks for taking me, buttercup." She replied, taking the teddy bear from him. "I can't wait for next time."

Rancis smiled and cupped her cheek, briefly kissing her. He pulled apart and nudged her nose with his. "I'll see you tomorrow, 'kay?"

Vanellope nodded and kissed his cheek, then walked off to join her father, who had witnessed everything. Rancis smiled and waved goodbye. "Have a wonderful evening, King Candy, milady," he said, hopping into his kart and driving off. King Candy looked at Vanellope and smiled.

"You really like him, don't you darling?" he teased, nudging her.

Vanellope rolled her eyes and walked in. "So what if I do? And was it really necessary to send Wynnchel and Duncan to spy on my date? Really, dad? Really?"

"Just to make sure he wasn't trying anything funny, cupcake," he objected.

"Dad, I love you, but I know Rancis. He isn't like all the others. So please don't try to drive him away. I love him," she cajoled, putting on a puppy face. King Candy smiled and picked up kis daughter, kissing her forehead. "Alright, I suppose I can lay off the boy. Now, off to bed, cupcake. You need the energy for tomorrow," he said, shooing up the stairs. Vanellope raced up the stairs to her room, but stopped to look down at her dad.

"And please stop giving your big speech! Sweet mother of monkey milk!" she yelled, exasperated.

She ran up the stairs and ran into her room, closing the doors. She walked towards the window and smiled at the stars, her eyes glistening. Looking down at her bracelet, she smiled and stared at the sky, smiling and thinking about a certain someone. And not far away, Rancis was doing the same thing.

* * *

In the end, everyone was happy. Vanellope had reunited with her father after fifteen years, and Rancis received a medal for his act of bravery for rescuing the princess. And as for Vanellope and Rancis, their love for each other grew stronger and stronger each and every day. Some of the racers, mainly Swizzle, even wondered how a boy like Rancis got himself a girl like Vanellope. Rancis himself said he didn't know for sure. But he did know one thing.

He knew that his love for Vanellope was stronger and better than anything in the entire arcade.

And nothing could ever break that special bond between two lovers.

.


End file.
